Ramallah – the world of the homeland
The first full moon of the year 2023 reaches its maximum on Friday evening, January 6, when it will make its farthest point from Earth in its orbit.
Because the Moon’s path around our planet is elliptical, at its closest approach, called perihelion, it is 225,291 miles (362,570 km) away. At its greatest distance, called aphelion, the Moon is 251,910 miles (405,410 km) from us.
According to the website (Russia Today), perigee and apogee do not always coincide with a full moon, but when they do, two events known as the “giant moon” (when the moon is at perigee) and the ” small full moon” moon” (when the moon is at its apogee).
Supermoons appear 14.5 percent larger and 25 percent brighter in the sky than a small full moon, according to the University Space Research Association (USRA).
Interestingly, the full moon on January 6 is the first full moon of the new year and the first full moon after the winter solstice. It will be visible this weekend in the night sky.
Badr Yanar bears the name “Wolf Moon” which is believed to refer to the fact that wolves are usually active at this time of year. There is no universal consensus, but many sources claim that the full moon got its name from the howling of hungry wolves.
The names of full moons are believed to come from a mixture of Native American, Anglo-Saxon, and German month names.
The moon will reach its highest point at 23:07 GMT on January 6.
Full moons occur when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned so that the sun’s rays illuminate the entire side of the Moon that faces Earth.
The moon remains above or slightly below the Earth’s umbra, allowing for this illumination. On occasions when the full moon passes through part of the earth’s shadow or all of the earth’s shadow, it creates a lunar eclipse.
The full moon comes just days after the peak of the Quadrantids meteor shower, which graced Earth’s sky from January 2-3. The meteor showers will continue until January 16, but with a very low frequency.
The next full moon, known as the Snow Moon, will happen on Sunday, February 5, 2023.
