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Keep an eye on the sky Monday evening to see the Wolf Moon, the first full moon of the year. And some sky watchers may spot a cosmic magic trick when the moon appears to pass in front of Mars.

According to NASA, the full moon will reach its peak brightness at 5:27 p.m. ET on Monday but will appear full by Wednesday morning.

Viewers in most of the continental United States, eastern Canada, and parts of Africa and Mexico can look for a celestial triangle in the sky as evening twilight ends at 6:11 p.m. ET. According to NASA, Mars will appear just to the lower left of the moon, while the bright star Pollux will be a few degrees to the upper left of the moon.

The times the moon passes in front of Mars vary. So be sure to check out your favorite sky watching app. For those on the East Coast of the United States, Mars will disappear behind the base of the Moon at approximately 9:16 p.m. ET and reappear behind the upper right side of the Moon at 10:31 p.m. ET.

January’s full moon is commonly called the Wolf Moon because wolves are active at this time of year and can be heard howling on cold winter nights, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. The origin of the name comes from the Sioux language, which describes this moon as “Wolves Converging.”

But this winter full moon is also called something else. It is known by the Cherokee as the Cold Moon, by the Lakota as the Hard Moon, and by the Passamaquoddy Tribe as the Whirling Wind Moon. According to NASA, European names also include the ice moon, the old moon or the moon after Yule, originally a three- to twelve-day festival that took place in pre-Christian Europe near the winter solstice.

The full moon in January also coincides with the start of the Hindu pilgrimage and the 44-day Prayag Kumbh Mela festival, which takes place every 12 years in the Indian city of Prayagraj.

The full moon will be visible around the world, weather permitting. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, dress well to stay warm and enjoy the views.

After Mars disappears behind the Moon, watch for the Red Planet to appear closest and brightest on Wednesday. In January, Mars will be in opposition, meaning it will be directly opposite the Sun from Earth’s vantage point. As the two planets move in their orbits, Earth will be between Mars and the Sun.

According to NASA, the Red Planet will glow brightly every evening. Look for it in the east and northwest each night at dawn.

Mars isn’t the only planet to keep an eye on this month. Sky watchers can look forward to seeing four bright planets in the night sky at the same time.

Venus and Saturn will appear in the southwest, Jupiter will shine overhead, and Mars will appear to rise in the east. The planets appear to rotate westward around the bright star Polaris and are visible every night starting in the early evening.

During the so-called Venus-Saturn conjunction, Venus and Saturn appear to slowly move closer together in the night sky, despite being hundreds of millions of kilometers apart. Because of the positions of their orbits around the sun, the two planets will appear closest to each other on Friday and Saturday.

According to EarthSky, Uranus and Neptune will also be visible, albeit with the help of binoculars or telescopes.

While some may rush to call this parade There is nothing unusual about a special alignment of the planets – although it is rarer to see four or five bright planets in the night sky at the same time.

Planets always appear along a line in the sky because they all orbit the sun in a mostly flat plane called the ecliptic.

“Planets in our solar system are always in line when they are visible because they follow the path of the sun – the ecliptic – across our sky. But they do not lie in a line that extends one after the other from the sun into three-dimensional space,” says EarthSky.

So enjoy the spectacle as glowing planets appear to march across the night sky this month. If you want to see even more, set up a telescope and maybe spot moons around some of these neighboring worlds.

Check out the following events in our sky to add to your calendar.

February 12: Snow Moon

March 14: Worm Moon

April 12: Pink Moon

May 12: Flower Moon

June 11: Strawberry Moon

July 10: Buck Moon

August 9: Sturgeon Moon

September 7: Corn Moon

October 6th: Harvest Moon

November 5: Beaver Moon

December 4th: Cold Moon

Solar and lunar eclipses

There will be two partial solar eclipses in 2025. A partial solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the sun and Earth, but neither celestial body is perfectly aligned, according to NASA.
Unlike a total solar eclipse, the moon only covers part of the sun’s surface, creating a crescent shape that makes it appear as if the moon is “biting” the sun.

The first partial solar eclipse will occur on March 29 and will be visible in parts of Europe, Asia, Africa and North and South America.

The second partial solar eclipse will occur on September 21 and will be visible over parts of Australia and Antarctica, as well as some islands in the Pacific Ocean.

There will also be two total lunar eclipses during the full moon events in March and September. A lunar eclipse, in which the moon appears dark or dim, occurs when the Earth is between the sun and the moon and the three celestial objects are lined up so that the moon comes into our planet’s shadow.

When the moon is in the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra, it takes on a reddish hue, leading to the nickname “Blood Moon” for a lunar eclipse, according to NASA. This shadow isn’t perfect, so faint rays of sunset-colored sunlight creep around the edges of the shadow, bathing the moon in bright, warm hues.

The first total lunar eclipse will be visible between March 13 and 14, crossing Western Europe, parts of Asia, parts of Australia, West Africa, North and South America and Antarctica. The second total lunar eclipse will occur on September 7th and 8th and will be visible from Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, parts of eastern South America, Alaska and Antarctica.

Check the Time and Date website to see when each of these eclipses will occur and where they can be viewed.

According to the American Meteor Society, here are the peak dates for the upcoming annual meteor showers.

Lyrics: 21st-22nd April

Eta Aquariids: 3rd-4th centuries May

South Delta Aquariids: 29th–30th July

Alpha Capricorns: March 29-30 July

Perseids: 12th-13th centuries August

Draconids: 8th-9th October

Orionids: 22–23. October

Southern Taurids: 3rd–4th centuries November

Northern Taurids: 8th–9th centuries November

Leonids: 16th-17th centuries November

Geminids: 12th–13th December

Ursids: 21st-22nd December