EYES TO THE SKIES FOR JANUARY’S FULL MOON - THE “WOLF” MOON! ALSO A “SUPER” MOON! 💖🌕🔭🛰✨️ - 02-03/01/2026
On the evening of the 2nd into the morning of the 3rd of January (weather permitting) we will hopefully be treated to views of January’s beautiful full moon which is known to some as the “Wolf” Moon.
Furthermore, this January’s full moon will also be what is known as a “Super” Moon, and will appear larger and brighter than usual too!
Although the full Moon may not always be the astrophotographer's best of friends, the full Moon always makes for a beautiful sight in the night sky and is an important marker of the seasons for many people.
If you would like to know more about this month’s full moon, what a Super Moon is, plus when and where to see the Wolf Moon, please read on…
WHAT IS A FULL MOON?
A full Moon occurs when its position in its orbit around Earth is at its furthest distance from the Sun (almost on the opposite side of the Earth compared to the Sun). This event, when the Earth stands almost directly between the Sun and Moon is also known as a Syzygy. When this happens, the side of the Moon that can be seen from Earth is completely illuminated, giving it the appearance of being full.
On rare occasions the Earth can stand directly in between the Sun and Moon resulting in a lunar eclipse.
WHAT IS A SUPER MOON?
The term super moon is the more popular way of referring to an astronomical event known to scientists as perigee-syzygy. This describes the confluence of two events:
Perigee - when the moon is at its closest to Earth along its orbit of our planet (at least 90% perigee means the moon constitutes as a super moon) in fact the moon will be only around 360,000 km away from Earth at the point of perigee-syzygy.
Syzygy - when the Earth, Moon and Sun are aligned, making the Moon fully illuminated (a full moon).
During a super moon the Moon will appear brighter and larger than an average full moon. On average, super moons are said to be about 7% bigger and about 15% brighter than a typical full Moon. According to NASA, a super moon will appear up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than the smallest full moon (when the Moon is at apogee, it’s furthest distance away from Earth).
FULL MOON NAMES
The full moon of each month has been given names by many cultures and peoples throughout history. The most commonly known full moon names are derived from Native American tribes. The Native American tribes gave distinctions to moons based on the time of year and the weather’s relationships to crop harvests and appearance of certain animals or animal behaviours.
THE "WOLF" MOON
The Full Moon for the month of January is often called the Wolf Moon. It is thought that January’s full Moon came to be known as the Wolf Moon because wolves were more likely to be heard howling at this time. It was traditionally believed that wolves howl due to hunger during winter, but we know today that wolves howl for different reasons. Howling and other wolf vocalizations are generally used to define territory, locate pack members, reinforce social bonds, and coordinate hunting.
OTHER ALTERNATIVE JANUARY MOON NAMES
Other names used for Januarys full Moon include the Centre Moon. Used by the Assiniboine people of the Northern Great Plains, it refers to the idea that this Moon roughly marks the middle of the cold season.
Other various January moon names emphasize the harsh coldness of the season such as: The Cold Moon (Cree), Frost Exploding Moon (Cree), Freeze Up Moon (Algonquin), and Severe Moon (Dakota).
The name the Hard Moon (Dakota) highlights the phenomenon of the fallen snow developing a hard crust.
January's full moon has also been called the Canada Goose Moon (Tlingit), Great Moon (Cree), Greetings Moon (Western Abenaki), and Spirit Moon (Ojibwe).
WHEN AND WHERE WILL THE FULL MOON OCCUR?
This month, the Moon will reach peak illumination around 10:20 GMT on the morning of the 3rd of January. This means the night where the Moon will appear most full will be the night of the 2nd into the morning of the 3rd.
The Moon will rise in the afternoon of the 5th at around 14:04 GMT towards the North-East. As the night progresses the Moon will climb in the sky travelling Southwards. The Moon will reach an altitude of 63 degrees at its highest point in the sky at roughly 23:41 GMT towards the South. Following this, the Moon will begin to descend travelling towards the North-West where it will set in the morning skies at around 09:06 GMT on the morning of January the 3rd.
Remember that you don’t really need to know the exact time of peak illumination to enjoy viewing the full Moon, as the Moon will appear full throughout the night and on the nights surrounding the peak.
WHERE AMONG THE STARS CAN THE MOON BE FOUND?
On the night of the 2nd our natural satellite will be hitching a ride in the zodiacal constellation of Gemini – the twins.
More specifically, the Moon can be found around 14 degrees to the right of the bright planet Jupiter and the two brightest stars of Gemini – Pollux and Castor.
The zodiacal constellation of Gemini can be found in between the constellations of Taurus and Cancer, and above and left of the famous constellation Orion - the hunter.
LUNAR OBSERVATION
The great thing about observing the Moon is that you don’t have to go and find a particularly dark location to view it. As the Moon is such a bright object in the sky, you can view it from brighter locations, even from the centre of a heavily light polluted city. Weather permitting of course.
MOON RISE/SET – MOON ILLUSION
It's always lovely to watch the moon rise/set, so if you can head out to witness the Moon rise or set, please do. Every time the Moon rises and sets it takes on a beautiful golden, amber colour and appears larger at this time too, due to an optical illusion known as the ‘Moon illusion’. It's truly special to witness. As it rises and glides higher, it’s colour will transition into a bright white.
Sometimes the Moon can appear even more orangey red than usual too! The hue of the moon typically depends on atmospheric conditions wherever you’re viewing it from. Things like clouds, dust, haze, smoke or pollution can cause the moon to appear different colours by scattering much of the blue light shining onto our natural satellite, leaving it with a more reddish tone.
WHAT ELSE IS IN THE NIGHT SKY THROUGHOUT JANUARY?
If you would like to know more about the rest of the celestial treats that can be seen in the skies throughout January, please head to our YouTube channel to watch our Night Sky Guide video for January 2026.
SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES AND PHOTOGRAPHS!
We always love hearing about your celestial adventures and seeing your photographs! If you head out to witness or capture photos of this special celestial event or any other sights in the night sky, please feel free to share your stories in the comments below. 😊
GOOD LUCK AND CLEAR SKIES
This month’s full Moon will be a beautiful sight, and with it being a Super Moon will make it even more special! So if you can, we recommend heading out to witness this January’s full Super Moon!
Good luck if you head out folks. Wrap up warm if you do. Any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Clear skies 💖
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