As of Saturday, Jan. 3, the moon phase is Full Moon. According to The Sky Live, 100% of the moon will be lit up tonight. The next full moon will be on Feb. 1.

The first full moon of 2026 will dazzle stargazers across the U.S. this weekend. This year, it’s extra special. Known as the “Wolf Moon,” it will also be a supermoon. It will appear larger and brighter than usual.

Whether Artemis ultimately fulfills its promise of sustained lunar exploration, or is reshaped by politics, budgets and competition with China, the program's first crewed flight around the moon will mark a definitive turning point. In 2026, humanity isn't just planning to return to lunar space — it's actually going.

January 2026 full moon is set to usher in the new year. Here's when it rises and why it is called the "Wolf Moon".

Tiny bits of Earth’s atmosphere have been drifting to the moon for billions of years, guided by Earth’s magnetic field. Rather than blocking particles, the magnetic field can funnel them along invisible lines that sometimes stretch all the way to the moon.

As of Tuesday, Dec. 30, the moon phase is Waxing Gibbous. According to NASA's Daily Moon Observation, 79% of the moon will be lit up tonight.

Your first major opportunity to spot shooting stars and bright fireballs in 2026 arrives overnight tonight with the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower, though only the brightest members may be visible, as the annual event crescendos in the bright light of a full moon.

When the moon's light passes through ice crystals in high-level cirrus clouds, that light gets bent. It gets bent at a specific angle of 22° relative to the viewer at ground level. This gives off a halo shape from our perspective.

Elle also had a creative take, which was that “supermoon season” would have some kind of profound effect on our minds and bodies (as is generally the idea when moon coverage intersects with astrology).