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It's time to look up at the stars because the first full moon of the year will reach its peak view on Monday.

Known as the Wolf Moon, many are quite excited of seeing it reach its peak illumination. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) revealed that the Wolf Moon will be at its brightest at 5:27 p.m. ET on Monday.

No need to fret if you would not be able to view the Wolf Moon at this time because it will appear full for three days, NASA noted.

From Sunday evening up to Wednesday morning, those who would like to capture its beauty would be able to do so. using the Old Farmer's Almanac, one could see the moonrise times for various areas in the U.S.

According to USA Today, you can try to look for the full moon of January to rise from the eastern horizon around sunset. Once it reaches midnight, you would see the wolf moon glowing bright and round overhead. After which, it would be disappearing into the west horizon at sunrise.

Aside from this, another exciting thing to look out for is that the Wolf Moon will be passing in front of Mars. NASA stated that this will give the chance to those in the continental United States to be able to have a good look at it as it will be visible to most of these areas. parts of Africa, Canada, and Mexico.

There is also no need for some advance technology to be able to view the beauty of the Wolf Moon. NASA stated that all that you need is a pair of binoculars and you will do fine. If you have a telescope, this would do as well.

On the evening of Jan. 13, 2025 (the evening of the full Moon), as twilight ends (at 6:11 p.m. EST), the rising Moon will be 13 degrees above the east-northeastern horizon with the bright planet Mars (the third brightest planet) 2 degrees to the lower left and the bright star Pollux (the brighter of the twin stars in the constellation Gemini, the twins) 3 degrees to the upper left of the Moon.

The brightest planet visible will be Venus at 29 degrees above the southwestern horizon, with the planet Saturn (fourth brightest) 6 degrees to the upper left of Venus. The second brightest planet, Jupiter, will be 47 degrees above the eastern horizon.

By now, you may be wondering where the wolf moon derived its name. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the first full moon earned the moniker "wolf moon" since the howls of wolves are mostly heard during winter.

USA Today noted that while wolves do howl, there has been no evidence that show that they are howling at the moon, or that the howling affects the celestial phase. Perhaps what is certain is that since wolves are considered as nocturnal animals, hence they are more active at nighttime.

The name, according to Time and Date was thought to have Celtic and English origins, and that it was the European settlers who brought the story to North America. European names include the Ice Moon, the Old Moon, and also the Moon after Yule, which refers to the full Moon that appears after the winter solstice.

Like things of legend, the full moon goes by more names. Other Celtic names include Quiet Moon and Stay Home Moon. With some Native American cultures, it is called as Center Moon or Severe Moon.

The next full moon will be in February. On Wednesday, Feb. 12, the snow moon will become visible, according to Astronomy.com.

NASA