The first full moon of 2010 is going to be the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. In Native American culture it is called the “wolf moon” because as legend has it hungry wolves howled at full moons on cold winter nights. Each month there is new full moon name.

Why this full moon is the biggest and brightest:

On average the moon is 238,855 miles from Earth and rotates in an ellipse, not a perfect circle. So one side of the orbit is 31,070 miles closer to the Earth. This point where the moon is the closest in its rotation is called perigee. Once or twice a year perigee coincides with a full moon, as it does tonight! The moon will be 14 percent wider and 30 percent brighter than other full moons throughout the year, according to Spaceweather.com. Another bonus tonight is that Mars will appear just to the left of the moon, so look for a reddish star-like object.

Full moon and bizarre behavior:

Many people think full moons cause strange behavior among animals and even humans. In fact several studies over the years have tried to tie lunar phases to births, heart attacks, deaths, suicides, violence, psychiatric hospital admissions and epileptic seizures, and more. Connections have been inclusive or nonexistent.

Moon illusion:

Finally, be sure to get out and see the full moon as it rises, right around sunset. Along the horizon, the moon tends to seem even bigger. This is just an illusion.

You can prove to yourself that this is an illusion. Taking a small object such as a pencil eraser, hold it at arm’s length, and compare its size to that of the moon just as it rises. Then repeat the experiment later in the night and you’ll see that the moon compares the same in both cases. Alternately, snap two photos of the moon, with a digital camera or your cell phone, when the moon is near the horizon and later when it’s higher in the sky. Pull both photos up on your computer screen and make a side-by-side comparison.

Astronomers and psychologists agree the moon illusion is just that, but they don’t agree on how to explain it.