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Wolf Supermoon Caps Four-Month Run With Dazzling Global Show on January 3

Occurring near lunar perigee, the first full moon of 2026 appeared noticeably larger and brighter than a typical full moon.

Overview

  • The full Moon reached peak phase around 10:03 GMT (5:30 a.m. EST) on January 3 and was widely seen from the UK and Europe to South Asia, East Asia and North America.
  • Officials reported the Moon was roughly 362,000–362,312 km from Earth with about 99.8% illumination, making it up to about 14% larger and as much as 30% brighter than the year's faintest full Moon.
  • Space agencies and observatories confirmed this was the fourth consecutive supermoon since October 2025, concluding the current sequence, with the next supermoon expected in November 2026.
  • Skywatchers shared striking images from locations including Stonehenge, Glasgow, London’s Richmond Park, Guwahati and Bhubaneswar in India, cities across Pakistan, New York and Baltimore.
  • The bright moonlight overlapped the Quadrantid meteor shower’s peak on January 2–4, reducing visibility of fainter meteors though brighter streaks remained observable.