Wolf Moon: Amazing pictures show the first full moon of 2022 in all its glory

In addition to the wolf moon, the full moon of January is known by a number of names, including the old moon and ice moon.

Hindus refer to it as Shakambhari Purnima, which marks the last day of Shakambari Navratri, an eight-day holiday in honor of the goddess Shakambhari. People in India often bathe in holy water during this time, NASA said.

Assiniboine people living in the Northern Great Plains in the United States call this the center moon because it is around the middle of winter, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.

Algonquin people located northeast of the Great Lakes, also in the United States, call it "squochee kesos," meaning "the sun has no strength to thaw." The Cheyenne people of the Great Plains call it "the moon of the severe cold."

There are 12 full moons in 2022, and two of them qualify as supermooners.

Definitions of a supermoon may vary, but the term generally denotes a full moon that is brighter and closer to Earth than normal and thus looks larger in the night sky.

Some astronomers say that the phenomenon occurs when the moon is within 90% of the perigee - which is its closest approach to Earth in orbit. By that definition, the full moon for June as well as that of July will be considered supermoon events.