THE first full moon of the year, known as the Wolf Moon, will be visible alongside Mars tonight.

Stargazers are encouraged to brave the cold once night falls on 13 January to catch the display.

2

2

If it's a clear night, a red 'star' will be visible just below and to the left of the Moon - this is the planet Mars.

The Red Planet will be at its biggest and brightest in the past two years.

It will glow at a magnitude of -1.3, just slightly dimmer than the brightest star in the sky - Sirius.

Mars and the Moon will move closer together in the sky throughout the night.

READ MORE ON SPACE

STARSTRUCK

Once-in-a-lifetime comet set to shine in sky as one of the brightest in 20 years

NIGHT TO REMEMBER

Saturn's rings vanish and twin Blood Moons – must-see 2025 space events

The Moon will temporarily hide the Red Planet from view - but only for about an hour.

The best time to go outside will be around 7:30pm UTC.

In-the-sky.org has a helpful  on its website to help you plan your viewing.

The Wolf Moon will reach peak illumination at roughly 10:25pm GMT (5:25pm EST).

Most read in Science

WIN-TERVIEW!

Psychologist reveals how to walk in, sit and what to say in ANY job interview

'VERY ODD'

Mystery behind 85m-year-old sea monster with giant teeth solved after decades

BARE BONES

140,000-year-old mysterious human ancestor bone found in LOST land

TAT'S AMAZING

Mysterious mummy with face tattoos STILL visible after 800 years found

At this time, the glare of moonshine might obscure the view of Mars.

The lunar disk is expected to take on a muted orange colour - though it will not be one of Earth's famed Blood Moons.

Stargazers will still be able to observe the pair in the early evening on 14 January, when the Red Planet will be above and to the right of the Moon.

Like other full moons, the Wolf Moon gets its name from folklore.

As the story goes, the Wold Moon earned its name because wolves don't hibernate in the winter, and are very active in January.

It's thought the sound of wolves howling was particularly prominent during this time when most other animals slept.

January is also a good time to view Mars, because the evenings are still long and dark.

But this month in 2025 will be especially good, as Mars enters 'opposition' on 16 January.

What this means is that Mars' orbit will bring it directly opposite the Sun - making it shine even brighter than usual.