The first full moon in 2024 occurs Thursday, Jan. 25 at 12:54 p.m.
The appearance of the moon changes over time as it orbits the Earth. The four main phases of the moon are new moon, first quarter moon, full moon and third quarter moon. When the entire moon is illuminated from the sun, this is known as a full moon.
A full moon occurs about every 24 days. The next full moon after Thursdays takes place on Feb. 24.
The phases of the moon are explained in this video by timeanddate.com
This graphic shows the position of the Moon and the Sun during each of the Moon’s phases and the Moon as it appears from Earth during each phase. Not to scale. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Thursday’s full moon is also known as the Wolf Moon and the Moon After Yule.
Here is the schedule of full moons for the Washington DC area:
Schedule of full moons for 2024 for Washington DC:
- Feb. 24
- March 25
- April 23
- May 23
- June 21
- July 21
- Aug. 19
- Sep. 17
- Oct. 17
- Nov. 15
- Dec. 15
Interested in learning more? NASA’s Daily Moon Guide has tips and guides for ways to observe the Moon, how to photograph the moon as well as information about the current phase of the moon.
Photo courtesy NASA taken from the International Space Station
