Metro Vancouverites will have four opportunities to spot supermoons in 2024 and one regular-sized howlin' moon to kick off January.
Known as the full wolf moon, January's lunar offering earned its name for wolf packs that people believed were howling outside of villages due to hunger. However, there is no evidence to support that wolves howl due to hunger. Instead, they tend to howl more during the winter months to define territory, locate pack members, and gather for hunting.
While the January moon has been referred to as the wolf moon for centuries, other popular names include the cold moon, hard moon, great moon, and Canada goose moon, and many others, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
The moon will be at its fullest in Vancouver at 9:54 a.m. on Jan. 25 but it will appear full or nearly full in the days leading up to and following it, according to timeanddate.com.
Supermoons in 2024
Locals will have four chances to spot full moons that look extra big and bright this year. A supermoon refers to a full moon that looks roughly 15 per cent brighter and seven per cent bigger than a regular one due to its proximity to Earth.
EarthSky notes that astronomers usually refer to supermoons as perigean full moons — a term that simply refers to the moon being "near earth."
The first supermoon of 2024 will take place on Aug. 19 and is also considered a "blue moon."
The second "supermoon" takes place on Sept. 18 and nearly coincides with a partial lunar eclipse that will be visible in the area on the previous day, Sept. 17, starting at 7:18 p.m. It will continue until 9:47 p.m. However, the early stages of the eclipse will not be visible from Vancouver because the moon will be below the horizon, according to timeanddate.com.
The third supermoon takes place the following month, on Oct. 17, and the fourth and final on Nov. 15.
Want to know what the Metro Vancouver weather forecast will be like before you go out for a sky-watching session?
Find out up-to-date weather information for neighbourhoods across the Lower Mainland with Weatherhood.
