There was a huge full moon in Sheffield last night and tonight’s could be even bigger

Sheffield is set to bask in the glow of a huge moon this evening, as we approach the first full moon of the new year, known as the ‘Wolf Moon’.
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The January full moon, also known as the Wolf Moon, will peak this evening at around 7.21pm (January 10).

Amateur astronomers will be able to start looking out for the moon earlier than that, with it expected to be visible in skies to the northeast from 3.51pm.

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Deceptively, the moon appeared full yesterday, however it had not yet reached its first peak of 2020.

A full moon will be in full glow over Sheffield this evening. Photo by @dogsofsheffield.A full moon will be in full glow over Sheffield this evening. Photo by @dogsofsheffield.
A full moon will be in full glow over Sheffield this evening. Photo by @dogsofsheffield.

That beautiful lunar display was in fact the moon at around 98 or 99 per cent of its whole in spite of its ‘full’ appearance.

According to astronomy experts, it is typical for the moon to appear this close to fullness on the days before and after the actual full moon.

The full moon will also coincide with a lunar eclipse this evening.

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The Wolf Moon will pass through a shadowy region of space behind Earth in what is known as a ‘penumbral eclipse’.

As it passes opposite the sun it will be in partial shadow of the earth for around four hours.

This kind of eclipse only slightly dims the brightness of the moon’s surface to a viewer from Earth.

It is often close to unnoticeable to anybody but the most adept astronomers.

The penumbral eclipse is expected to last from 5.07pm GMT to 9.12pm tonight.

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