Wolf Moon

The first full moon of 2010 rose last night and it was the largest full moon of the year.

According to Native American tradition January's full moon is also known as a wolf moon. There are wolves around here but I sure didn't hear any howling last night.

Good thing too.

This year's wolf moon was 30 percent brighter and 14 percent larger than any other full moon as it was actually closer to the earth than usual.

The moon is at its perigee - the closest it will get to the earth - a distance of 221,577 miles (356,593 kilometers).

Apogee is when the moon is at its farthest from the earth. Perigee and apogee generally occur in every month - but the moon's wobbly egg-shaped orbit means that the precise distance at each of these events varies throughout the year. The moon's phase can also be different during each perigee and apogee event.

According to astronomer Marc Jobin at the Montreal Planetarium - This month has the largest full moon of 2010 because it coincides with the special moment when the full moon happens to occur on the same day as it is at perigee.

Coincidentally - Mars is directly opposite to the sun in the sky. As the sun sets in the southwest Mars rises in the northeast.

When Mars is in opposition to the sun it is also at its closest to the earth. On January 27 Mars swung by at just 61 million miles (98 million kilometers).

Look for it in the night sky - a bright orange planet next to the wolf moon.