Wolf Moon: Stunning images show the first full moon of 2022 in all its glory | CNN

People stand beside St Michael's Tower as they watch the full moon, sometimes known as a "wolf moon," rise behind Glastonbury Tor in Glastonbury, England, on January 17.

Toby Melville/Reuters

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The first full moon of the year lit up the night sky on Monday, and photographers captured its splendor.

Known as the wolf moon, it was named after wolves that were thought to howl more frequently this time of year, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. However, no link between wolves howling and the moon has been established.

A cable car passes in front of the moon as it crosses the River Thames in London on Monday, January 17.

Yui Mok/PA Images/Getty Images

Besides the wolf moon, January’s full moon is known by a number of names, including the Old Moon and Ice Moon.

The full moon sets behind Monte Prena in Gran Sasso d'Italia National Park on January 17.

Lorenzo Di Cola/NurPhoto/Getty Images

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

Assiniboine people who live 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.

The full moon rises in the residential area of Eindhoven in the Netherlands on January 17.

Nicolas Economou/Nur Photo/Getty Images

Algonquin people located northeast of the Great Lakes, also in the US, call it “squochee kesos,” which means, “sun has not strength to thaw.” The Cheyenne people of the Great Plains call it “moon of the strong cold.”

Palestinians ride horses in Gaza beach as the full wolf moon rises over Gaza City on January 17.

Sameh Rahmi/NurPhoto/AP

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

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

The moon sets behind Whitby Abbey in Yorkshire, England, on January 17.

Danny Lawson/AP

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