Beginning tonight, the moon will be full. It will appear full through Thursday. What's so special about it? Well, it's called a Wolf Moon and it's the 13th full moon of the year and it's the last full moon of the decade.

Here NASA explains how the "Wolf Moon" got it's distinction.

The Algonquin tribes of what is now the northern and eastern United States named this the Wolf Moon, from the packs of wolves that howled hungrily outside the villages amid the cold and deep snows of winter. Another name is the Ice Moon. By month the full Moon in December is called the Cold Moon.

The moon will appear in the night sky for a total of 15 hours and 27 minutes. Because this full moon is also the closest to the Winter Solstice, it is also know as the Long Night Moon. Astronomically speaking, the moon turns full at the instant that it is 180 degrees opposite the sun in ecliptic longitude.

Did you think the last full moon of the decade was in 2019? According to earthsky.com,

Purists will call the December 2020 full moon the last full moon of the decade.

According to the Gregorian calendar, the 203rd decade will begin on January 1, 2021, as the first year is the year one, not zero. So, we end the decade and the year of 2020 with a big full moon. Go ahead, howl at it!

UP NEXT: The Ultimate Michigan Winter To-Do List

 

More From WBCKFM