Wolf Moon Fever?

If it weren’t great enough that it is almost Friday night, tonight’s full moon will be the biggest and bestest full moon of the year -- because it’s only January! As it is the first full moon of the New Year, it will also be known as a “wolf moon,” which is a name dating back to the Native Americans.  You know, the first Americans? They were also the fine graphic artist folks who came up with the t-shirt featuring those hungry wolves howling at the moon worn by the gruff-voiced women who wear work boots to the Home Depot and sometimes worn by bikers too.  Or not.  But each month brings another full moon name in their culture reflecting the characteristics of that month with January symbolizing wolves howling at the moon as they are hungry from the paleface making their natural prey extinct and the dumpster behind the Chinese restaurant having already been emptied before the weekend.  But why will this moon be bigger and brighter than others?  In this orbit, the moon will also reach its closest point to the Earth, and those who don’t live in smog-laden locales are in for a real visual treat.  As a special, added bonus, Mars will also be visible just to the left of the moon tonight.  Look for a reddish, star-shaped object, but even more important, if you are able, zoom in with your telescope to search for signs of water and oil and report your findings back to the federal government.  The moon is believed to cause strange behavior in animals, but particularly strange behavior in humans, like, for example, financing a multi-million dollar werewolf movie project and expecting to be able to do any box office receipts without showing Kate Beckinsale in a leather body suit.