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January 2026 Supermoon - The Wolf Moon: Date, Time & Facts

full wolf moon, january full moon, the old farmer's almanac
Image Credit:
Colleen Quinnell/The Old Farmer's Almanac
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

The first Full Moon of 2026 is also a Supermoon! This spectacular sight occurs on the night of Saturday, January 3. Why do we call January’s Moon a Wolf Moon? (It’s not because wolves are hungry.) What makes it a Supermoon? Find out what’s special about this month’s Moon—as well as folklore and best days by the Moon.

When to See January’s Full Moon

January’s Full Wolf Moon reaches peak illumination on Saturday, January 3, 2026, at 5:03 A.M. EST. 

Because it is a Supermoon—occurring when the Moon is at perigee, its closest point to Earth—it will appear noticeably larger and brighter than a typical full Moon. Learn more about Supermoons.

At a Full Moon, the Moon is located on the opposite side of the Earth to the Sun, so the face of the Moon facing towards the Earth will be entirely illuminated by the Sun’s rays. 

Look for the January Moon to rise from the eastern horizon around sunset that evening. By midnight, the Wolf Moon glows bright and round overhead. By sunrise, it will disappear into the western horizon.

Consult our Moonrise Calculator to see what time you can expect to catch a glimpse of the first Full Moon of 2026!

Look up at the Full Moon on the 3rd (or a day earlier or later)! What do you think?

The sunset embers smolder low,
The Moon climbs o’er the hill, 
The peaks have caught the alpenglow,
The robin’s song is still.
–John L. Stoddard (1850–1931)

Why Is It Called the Full Wolf Moon?

The Full Moon names used by The Old Farmer’s Almanac come from a number of places, including Native American, Colonial American, and European sources. Traditionally, each Full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, not just to the Full Moon itself.

The Wolf Moon

It’s 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 howled due to hunger during winter, but we know today that isn’t accurate.

Howling and other wolf vocalizations are heard in the wintertime to locate pack members, reinforce social bonds, define territory, and coordinate hunting.

Wolves and Moon, the wolf moon

Alternative January Moon Names

Another fitting name for this Full Moon is the Center 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 traditional names for the January Moon emphasize the harsh coldness of the season: Cold Moon (Cree), Frost Exploding Moon (Cree), Freeze Up Moon (Algonquin), and Severe Moon (Dakota). Hard Moon (Dakota) highlights the phenomenon of the fallen snow developing a hard crust.

Canada Goose Moon (Tlingit), Great Moon (Cree), Greetings Moon (Western Abenaki), and Spirit Moon (Ojibwe) have also been recorded as Moon names for this month.

→ See all 12 months of Full Moon names and their meanings.

Moon Phases for January 2026

January 2026 Moon Phases

Below are the dates and times (in Eastern Time) of the Moon’s phases in January. See our Moon Phase Calendar for times in your city/state.

January Moon Phase Dates and Times
Full Moon: January 3, 5:03 A.M.
Last Quarter: January 10, 10:48 A.M.
New Moon: January 18, 2:52 P.M. 
First Quarter: January 25, 11:47 P.M.

→ When is the next Full Moon? See our Full Moon Dates chart.

A howling lone gray wolf in snow-covered landscape.

January Full Wolf Moon Video

Each month, we will explain the traditional names of the Full Moon along with some fascinating Moon facts. In this video, learn about January’s Full Wolf Moon. Click below to watch the video.

Best Days in January 2026

For Planting…

…Aboveground crops: 21, 22, 30, 31
…Belowground crops: 11-13

For Setting Eggs

1, 9, 10, 27-29

For Fishing

1-3, 18-31

→ See all our Best Days for various activities.

Moon Folklore

A bright first Moon promises rain and a bountiful harvest; a red-tinted Moon means a dry year.

A growing Moon and a flowing tide are lucky times to marry.

A halo around the Moon predicts wet or stormy weather. 

Share your thoughts about this month’s Full Moons below. Tell us if we’re missing anything that you would like to know!

Full Moon Names

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com and a Purdue University Extension Master Gardener. She loves helping readers find practical, trustworthy answers—whether they’re figu...

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Joe Biden</span> Fri, 01/06/2023 - 08:18
How does the moon give you cancer?
<span>Basilia</span> Mon, 01/17/2022 - 13:56
The moon is red tinted
<span>Elizabeth</span> Fri, 01/14/2022 - 21:21
How likely am to go into labor during the full wolf moon? I’ll be 36 weeks on Monday
<span>Lisa A</span> Sun, 01/16/2022 - 11:50
My grandpa (Cherokee) predicted all of his grandchildrens births. Depending on how your health and the pregnancy is, he would predict of the new moon.
<span>Chriswinters</span> Thu, 01/28/2021 - 20:10
That's right. Wolves howl to meet up with the pack and humans shouldn't think the wolves are circling their camp. I see this wrong all the time but the OFA got it right.
<span>Qc</span> Wed, 01/23/2019 - 01:00
Jan Wolf moon (total lunar eclipse) did have a Halo around it and shortly after, the winds came. We had just had rain the week prior to the full moon, so no more rain was expected. However it brought winds and these winds are so icy cold, it's like walking around in the freezer and we live in California.
<span>Lisa</span> Tue, 01/22/2019 - 07:46
When the wolf blood full moon came on January 21, 2019 my dad went into a full Alzheimer’s rage!!! I don’t know if the full moon has anything to do with this or not but believe me when it occurs the Alzheimer’s rage occurs also ...
<span>Lisa</span> Wed, 01/23/2019 - 10:45
You mention your father went into an Alzheimer’s rage with the full moon. You might want to take your father to an alternative medicine doctor to check for parasites. Parasites act up during a full moon. Parasites associated with Lyme disease could also create Alzheimer-like symptoms. Odds are a traditional doctor will not be well informed about this.
<span>Bj</span> Mon, 01/21/2019 - 12:33
Sooo...WHERE is it streaming?!
<span>Lunette</span> Sun, 01/20/2019 - 22:10
Well, it is 8:08 PM PST on January 20th and I see a full moon but no eclipse. A little research shows me that it happened yesterday?? January 19th.