Although Saturday will be the first full moon of 2026, it won’t be the typical moon you see every month; it will be a supermoon and a ‘wolf moon’ at the same time.
It will also be the end of a four-month streak of supermoons, and if you miss it, you’ll have to wait until November to see an equally large and bright moon in the sky.
Super moons and wolf moons
The moon’s orbit around Earth is elliptical and not a perfect circle, so the moon’s distance from Earth is not always the same.
A supermoon occurs when the full moon is at its closest point to Earth, called the ‘perigee’.
Perigee is usually around 220,000 miles (363,300 kilometers), and on Saturday night the full moon’s distance from Earth will be about that distance, according to NASA.
In addition to the fourth month in a row with a super moon, tonight’s moonlight show will also be a so-called ‘wolf moon’.
Various cultures have historically given unique names to full moons to represent the things happening around them at that time of year, such as the term “snow moon” for a full moon in February, a month known for snow in the Northern Hemisphere.
The term “wolf moon” is thought to have been used by Native Americans and medieval Europeans to refer to the full moon in January, a time of year when wolves are believed to howl more than at any other time.
When is the best time to look at the full moon tonight?
The moon will officially be full at 9:02 PM AEDT, which is when the actual Wolf supermoon begins.
The best time to view these is around dusk, when the moon will appear largest thanks to an optical illusion that causes our eyes to perceive objects on the horizon as larger.
If you miss it tonight, you’ll have to wait until November 6 and December 5 for the next supermoons.
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