First Full Moon of Year in Cheshire

The first full moon of the new year will rise tonight in a cold, clear sky, giving skywatchers a perfect view of the what's known as the "Full Wolf Moon."

It won't, however, be the biggest moon of the year. That will occur on May 5 when the moon will arrive at its closest point to earth. According to space.com221,801 miles from Earth on that date. The ocean will be affected, columnist Joe Rao said, with very high or low tides.

The naming of full moons comes from Native American tribes, including the Algonquins of New England. To keep track of the changing seasons, tribes gave distinctive names to each full moon.

Other not-to-miss celestial events of 2012 are:

• March 13: Brilliant "double planet"

The two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, team up to make for an eye-catching sight in the western sky soon after sunset. Then, on March 25 and 26, a crescent moon will pass by, adding additional beauty to this celestial scene.

• June 5: Rare crossing of Venus across the sun

The passage of Venus in front of the sun is among the rarest of astronomical events. The next one won't occur until 2117. Only six transits of Venus are known to have been observed by humans before: in 1639, 1761, 1769, 1874, 1882 and, most recently, in 2004.

• Jul. 3: Full Buck Moon

 This will be the smallest full moon of 2012. In terms of apparent size, it will appear 12 percent smaller than tonight's full moon.

• Aug. 31: Blue Moon

This is the second time the moon turns full in a calendar month, so it is also popularly known as a "Blue Moon." It only happens on average about once in about three years.