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Sky watchers can prepare for the first full moon of 2026 today. January’s supermoon, also known as the Wolf Moon, will light up the sky tonight. In the Anglo-Saxon tradition, it is called the “Moon after Yule” and in the Alaska Range it is called the “Winter Moon”. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the supermoon got another name in North America because the indigenous Dakota people called it the “Severe Moon” to reflect the bitterly cold days of the month.
As per the time and date, the Wolf Moon will rise at around 3:32 PM IST on Saturday. January’s full moon is named after wolves howling in the Northern Hemisphere’s winter.
When is the full moon?
This astronomical event occurs once every 27 days when the Moon is located opposite the Sun in Earth’s sky. From our point of view the lunar body appears completely illuminated. On the nights surrounding the full moon it may appear to the casual observer that the lunar disk is fully illuminated, but its peak illumination will occur on January 3.
During this time the lunar surface appears even larger than on other full moon days because during this time the celestial body is closest to Earth – a point in its orbit called perihelion. This causes the Moon to appear 30% brighter and 14% larger than the farthest full Moon of the year, justifying the name “supermoon”. Sky watchers can look forward to the first full moon of 2026, known as the Wolf Moon, which will rise around 3:32 pm IST on January 3. Sky watchers can enjoy the Wolf Moon with the naked eye and grab their camera and try to photograph the first full moon of the year.
In a series of four consecutive supermoons, January’s supermoon will be the last and space lovers will have to wait for months to see the next supermoon which will appear on November 24. space.com Informed. It is noteworthy that the next full moon of the year will be visible on 1 February.
Worm Moon (total lunar eclipse) – March 3
Strawberry Moon – June 29
Sturgeon Moon (Partial Lunar Eclipse) – August 28
Harvest Moon – September 26
Hunter’s Moon – October 26
Beaver Moon – November 24
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