January 3: Full Wolf Moon
January’s Full Wolf Moon reaches peak illumination on Saturday, January 3rd. 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. The January full moon is called the Wolf Moon because it is associated with the howling of wolves, which are more active during this time as it marks their breeding season. The name has roots in various cultures, including Anglo-Saxon - "Wulf-monath," meaning "Wolf Month,” and Native American traditions, reflecting the connection between wolves and the winter month of January. As the full moon in January 2026 is the first after the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, it may also be called Moon After Yule, according to European tradition.
Additional names for the January full moon include:
Chinese: Holiday Moon
Celtic: Quiet Moon
Cherokee: Cold Moon
Cree: Frost Exploding Moon
Dakota: Severe Moon
Southern Hemisphere: Hay Moon, Buck Moon, Thunder Moon, Mead Moon
Image courtesy of Old Farmer's Almanac
January 3: Quadrantid Meteor Shower
The Quadrantids, which peak on January 3rd, are considered to be one of the best annual meteor showers. The Quadrantids’ peak is quite short – only a few hours. (The reason the peak is so short is due to the shower's thin stream of particles and the fact that the Earth crosses the stream at a perpendicular angle.) During its peak, anywhere from 60 to 200 Quadrantid meteors can be seen per hour under perfect conditions. However, this month’s bright full moon will likely wash out many of the fainter meteors, making it challenging to see them clearly. The shower’s radiant – the point in the sky from which the Quadrantids appear to come – is an obsolete constellation called "Quadrans Muralis." French astronomer Jerome Lalande created this constellation in 1795, naming it after an early astronomical instrument used to observe and plot star positions: a quadrant. The Quadrantids were first seen in 1825.
Image courtesy of NASA
January 10: Jupiter reaches opposition
On January 10, Jupiter reaches opposition - standing directly opposite the Sun and shining at its very brightest. Its magnitude will reach –2.7, making Jupiter hard to miss even for casual stargazers. You’ll see Jupiter glowing all night long, from sunset to sunrise, high in the constellation Gemini. Use the Winter Hexagon asterism as your guide — the planet shines right inside this huge ring of stars, near Pollux. Look for the bright, golden “star” that doesn’t twinkle. You don’t need any equipment to spot it - Jupiter is bright enough for the naked eye. But if you grab binoculars or a small telescope, you’ll notice four little dots nearby - the Galilean moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
Image courtesy of the National Park Service
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