Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Friday's wolf moon, the Native American-inspired name for the first full moon of the year, will feature a penumbral lunar eclipse.
The Earth casts two shadows that affect the appearance of the moon: a smaller, darker shadow called the umbra and a larger, fainter shadow called the penumbra.
During a partial or total lunar eclipse, when the sun, Earth and moon are more precisely aligned, some or all of the moon passes through the umbra, causing a more apparent darkening of the moon's surface.
Friday's wolf moon will be less dramatic, as the alignment of the sun, Earth and moon are slightly off. The moon will only pass through the penumbra, causing only a slight darkening.
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Unfortunately, the eclipse will occur during daylight hours, making it hard to spot for viewers in North America. But several livestreams -- including one by the YouTube channel CosmoSapiens -- will offer online coverage of the event.
"It begins at 12:06 p.m. ET and ends at 4:14 p.m. ET," according to CNN. "But those in Alaska, eastern Maine and parts of northern and eastern Canada have a chance."
Sky-watchers in the Eastern Hemisphere will have a better shot at seeing the eclipse during the night.
"We in the Americas will enjoy seeing a bright full-looking moon these next few nights, but we'll miss this eclipse," according to EarthSky. "Although the full moon occurs at the same instant worldwide, the clock reads differently by time zone."
The first moon in January is called the wolf moon, as was customary by some Native American groups -- a practice later adopted by European colonists. The moon is also sometimes referred to as the old moon, ice moon or snow moon.
Friday's full moon will be the first of 13 full moons in 2020. The next full moon, the snow moon, will happen on Feb. 9. October will feature two full moons, a harvest moon and a blue moon.
