Breaking News:What is the Wolf Supermoon? All you need to know about the first full moon of 2026– What Just Happened

The first full moon of 2026, known as the Wolf Supermoon, is all set to rise this weekend on January 3, 2026, marking the year’s opening celestial highlight. As per NASA, a supermoon occurs when the full Moon coincides with the Moon’s closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit, known as perigee, making it appear larger and brighter than a typical full moon. January’s full Moon will be at its peak illumination, at around 10:03 GMT (5:03 am EST), though it will be visible on the evenings of January 2 and 3 as it climbs the eastern horizon at dusk.

The name Wolf Moon has deep historical roots. Live Sciences says that according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the full moon gets its name because wolves were more likely to be heard howling during these cold winter nights. Other western cultures names of this full moon includes the Cold Moon or Freeze-Up Moon, reflecting seasonal conditions and light influences from ancient observations. This will be the first of three supermoons in 2026, with the year’s largest and closest supermoon scheduled for December 24.

To see the Wolf Supermoon at its best, observers should look to the eastern horizon at sunset on January 2 and 3. When the Moon is low in the sky, optical effects such as the moon illusion can make it appear impressively large to the naked eye. Unlike dimmer night-sky phenomena, a supermoon is bright enough to be visible even from urban locations with light pollution.

Because it’s the full moon closest to the winter solstice on Dec. 21, the Wolf Moon will also make the highest arc through the night sky of any full moon, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. At the perigee the Moon is about 2,20,000 miles away from Earth, compared to at its furthest point – or apogee – around 2,50,000 miles away. The Wolf Moon in January 2026 happens to be the final one in a sequence that began back in late 2025.