Saturday, January 3rd will be the first full moon of 2026. This full moon, known as the Wolf Moon, becomes full at 5:02 a.m. ET and is best seen rising in the eastern sky at dusk later that day. Also, since it will be a “supermoon,” it will appear brighter and larger than usual.
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, January’s full moon got its name because wolves were more likely to be heard howling at this time of year. Other Native American names for this full moon include Cold Moon, Frost Exploding Moon, Freeze-Up Moon, Severe Moon, Hard Moon, Center Moon, and Canada Goose Moon. In Europe, this day is often referred to as the Moon After Yule, after the ancient festival that lasted from the winter solstice on December 21st to January 1st.
The best time to see the Wolf Moon is at moonrise on January 3rd, when it appears between a star and a very bright planet at dusk. To its left is Pollux, a bright star in the constellation Gemini, and to its right is Jupiter. The “King of the Planets” will be at its brightest from our perspective in 2026, just a week after its bright opposition.
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As the full moon closest to the winter solstice on December 21st, the Wolf Moon will have the highest arc in the night sky during a full moon when viewed from the Northern Hemisphere. This happens because the full moon is always on the opposite side of the sun, so the winter sun mimics the summer sun.
The Wolf Moon will also be the fourth consecutive supermoon, but it won’t be particularly large. This also lasts until November. It is called a supermoon because the moon is completely close to perigee, the closest point to Earth. When the moon is full on January 3, it will be 225,130 miles (362,312 kilometers) from Earth.
Coincidentally, when Earth reaches perihelion (the closest point to the sun), it occurs 91.4 million miles (147.1 million km) from our star. The average distance is 93 million miles (150 million km).
The next full moon after the Wolf Moon will be the Snow Moon on February 1st.
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