2022 is up and running, and now celebrates its first full Moon of the year.
Known as the 'Wolf Moon', the name comes from Native North Americans who associated January with an increase in the frequency of wolves howling. It is also known as the 'Ice Moon', 'Candles Moon' and 'Old Moon' depending on where you live.
The next full Moon will be the 'Snow Moon', which will peak on the 16 February 2022.
Monte Prena, Italy
Monte Prena in Gran Sasso d'Italia National Park is pictured as a full Moon sets behind it, on 17 January 2022. Photo by Lorenzo Di Cola/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Portsmouth, UK
The first full Moon of the year is seen rising beyond The Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, United Kingdom, on the 17 January 2022. Photo by James Marsh/Shutterstock
Madrid, Spain
The full Moon rises over the skyscrapers of the Four Towers Business Area of Madrid on 18 January 2022. Photo by Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket/Getty Images
Ankara, Turkey
A full Moon lights up the sky in Ankara, Turkey, on 18 January 2022. Photo by Ali Balikci/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Gaza City
The full Wolf Moon rises over Gaza City, 17 January 2022. Photo by Sameh Rahmi/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Here, the Moon lights up the clear winter sky over a residential area near Eindhoven behind houses and buildings on 17 January 2022. Other names of Earth's natural satellite in orbit around the planet are Selene, Luna and Cynthia. The Moon one of the largest satellites in the Solar System. Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Tekirdag, Turkey
The full Moon rises over Tekirdag, Turkey, during evening hours on 17 January 2022. Photo by Mesut Karaduman/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Yichang, China
A striking orange-coloured full Moon rises in the sky on 17 January 2022 in Yichang, Hubei Province of China. Photo by Liu Junfeng/VCG/Getty Images
The full Moon is pictured on the 18 January 2022 over the Lakhta Center multifunctional complex, St Petersburg, Russia. Photo by Valentin Yegorshin/TASS/Getty Images
Huddersfield, United Kingdom
Victoria Tower at Castle Hill in the Borough of Kirklees,Huddersfield, UK, bears witness to the first full Moon of the year, on the 18 January 2022.It was traditionally believed that wolves howled due to hunger during winter, but we now know howling and other wolf vocalisations are generally used to define territory, locate pack members, reinforce social bonds, and coordinate hunting. Photo by Charlotte Graham/Shutterstock
New York, USA
Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, United States partially obscures the first full Moon of the year, on 18 January 2022. Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Naples, Italy
The statue of the poet Dante, in the square in Naples, seems to play with the full Moon, on the 15 January 2022. Photo by Marco Cantile/LightRocket/Getty Images
Beijing, China
Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics mascot Bing Dwen Dwen and Winter Paralympics Shuey Rhon Rhon witness the full Moon on 18 January 2022 in Beijing, China. Photo by VCG/Getty Images
James Cutmore is the picture editor of BBC Science Focus Magazine. He has worked on the magazine and website for over a decade, telling compelling science stories through the use of striking imagery. He holds a degree in Fine Art, and has been nominated for the British Society of Magazine Editors Talent Awards, being highly commended in 2020. His main areas of interest include photography that highlights positive technology and the natural world. For many years he was a judge for the Wellcome Trust's image competition, as well as judging for the Royal Photographic Society.
YICHANG, CHINA - JANUARY 17: The moon rises in the sky on January 17, 2022 in Yichang, Hubei Province of China. (Photo by Liu Junfeng/VCG via Getty Images)
