Overview
- January's full moon reaches peak illumination around 5:02–5:03 a.m. ET on January 3 and is the fourth in a consecutive run of supermoons, with the next not expected until November and December 2026.
- Observers will get the most dramatic view at moonrise on Saturday evening looking east, when the moon will appear near the star Pollux with Jupiter shining on the other side.
- In the Northern Hemisphere the full moon takes its highest arc of the year across the sky, a winter geometry effect with the moon opposite the low sun.
- The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks the same night; American Meteor Society guidance favors viewing from midnight to dawn with the moon at your back, when a few meteors per hour and occasional bright fireballs remain possible despite glare.
- Because the full phase occurs near lunar perigee, the disk can look up to about 14% larger and roughly 30% brighter than at apogee, with reports also noting slightly higher than usual coastal tides near Earth's early-January perihelion.