Supermoons tend to come in packs, and Earth has just experienced three in a row, dating back to October. The final supermoon of this sequence is happening on Jan. 3, and it also happens to be the first supermoon of 2026. Skygazers will want to catch this one, since the next one won’t occur until November.
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The moon tends to spend three to four months at a time in perigee, a fancy term that means it’s as close to Earth as its elliptical orbit will allow. During this time, humans refer to full moons as supermoons. Since the moon is physically closer to Earth than it normally is, a full moon appears brighter and larger in the sky.
The difference can be a moon that is up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than a micromoon, which occurs when the moon is at apogee, or the furthest point away from Earth. That brightness is the real differentiator, as a supermoon is bright enough to light up your backyard, especially if there is snow on the ground.
The odds of this are pretty good, as it is expected to snow in a few parts of the US between Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
To see the moon at its brightest, you’ll want to stay up late on Jan. 2 or wake up very early on Jan. 3. According to The Farmer’s Almanac, January’s supermoon will rise from the eastern horizon and streak across the sky to settle in the west around sunrise. The moon will reach peak illumination at 5:03 a.m. ET. It should still be dark outside for the entire US during this time, so everyone will have a chance to see it.
If you see it can’t due to weather or other engagements, the Wolf Moon will be over 90% full from Dec. 31 through Jan. 5, which gives you almost a week of near-maximum illumination.
Since the moon is the largest and brightest object in the night sky, you also won’t need any special magnification devices to see it. However, a good pair of binoculars or a telescope makes the moon’s surface details easier to see, and helps photographers take some impressive moon shots.
The full moon in January is commonly called the Wolf Moon due to increased activity from wolves during this time. Not only does January mark the beginning of the wolf’s winter mating season, but wolves are also typically more active at dusk and dawn. Dusk is pretty early in the day, especially right after the winter solstice. In the old days, this meant that people were more likely to see a wolf or hear wolves howling during January.
