2018 Supermoons Over Wisconsin: List

Stargazers in Wisconsin get a rare treat right off the bat in 2018 as a supermoon rises in the night sky during dusk on Monday, Jan. 1. In fact, there will be two supermoons in 2018, both of them in January. The year is also unique because both January and March have blue moons — that is, two full moons in the same month — and February has no full moon.

Here is a list of full moons, supermoons, and other events involving Earth's nearest interstellar neighbor:

Jan. 1-2: The first of two January full moons, both supermoons, occurs just as after the calendar turns. The moon will look larger than it actually is — that's the supermoon effect — as it reaches its closest approach to Earth in its monthly orbit, known as lunar perigee. The January full moon was known as the Wolf Moon by early Native American tribes because that's when hungry wolf packs howled outside their camps, but it also has been called the Snow Moon, the Old Moon and the Moon After Yule.

Jan. 31: The second full moon of January, known as a blue moon, is also a supermoon. Its occurrence on the last day of the month means there won't be a full moon in February. In other years, the February full moons were called the Snow Moon or the Hunger Moon by Native American tribes, because hunting became difficult.

March 2: The full moon in March was called the Worm Moon by Native American tribes as earthworms begin to crawl out of the ground, but it also has been called the Crow Moon, the Crust Moon, the Sap Moon and the Lenten Moon.

March 31: March gets a second full moon, the last blue moon of the year.

April 30: The April full moon isn't pink, but Native American tribes called it Pink Moon because that's when wild ground phlox, one of the first spring flowers, begins to make an appearance. It's also been called the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Growing Moon and the Egg Moon. Among coastal tribes, it was known as the Fish Moon because that's when shad begin their swim upstream to spawn.

May 29: Remember the rhyme you learned as a child: "April showers bring May flowers"? The full moon in May was called the Flower Moon by Native American tribes, but it also has been called the Corn Planting Moon and the Milk Moon.

June 28: The June full moon was called the Full Strawberry Moon by Native Americans, because that's when fruit begins to ripen and the strawberry harvesting season peaks. Other names attached to this moon are the Rose Moon, Honey Moon and Hot Moon.

July 27: Native Americans called the July full moon the Full Buck Moon because that's when male deer begin to grow new antlers. This moon is also known as the Full Thunder Moon and the Full Hay Moon.

Aug. 26: Native American tribes called the August full moon the Full Sturgeon Moon because that's when the large fish are more easily caught in the Great Lakes and other large lakes. You might also hear it referred to as the Green Corn Moon or the Grain Moon.

Sept. 25: The September full moon was known as the Corn Moon by Native American tribes because that's when corn was typically harvested. It also has been called the Barley Moon to coincide with the time for harvesting and threshing ripened barley. In some years, it is known as the Harvest Moon — the name always given to the moon closest to the autumnal equinox — and it can occur in either September or October.

Oct. 24: The full moon in October was dubbed the Hunters Moon by Native Americans because game were fat and ready for hunting. It has also been called the Travel Moon, the Blood Moon and the Dying Moon.

Nov. 23: Native Americans called the November full moon the Full Beaver Moon because tribes set their beaver traps at that time before swamps and rivers froze over for the winter. You might also hear it referred to as the Frosty Moon.

Dec. 22: Native Americans called the December full moon the Full Cold Moon. Winter settles in in many areas of the country, and nights are longer and darker. You may also hear it referred to as the Long Nights Moon and the Moon Before Yule.

Original Reporting: Shannon Antinori/Patch.com Sources: Seasky.org, The Old Farmer's Almanac, Astronomy.com, International Meteor Organization, American Meteor Society, Space.com, NASAPhoto via Christopher Polk/Getty Images News/Getty Images