January 2026 Full Wolf Moon
The first full Moon of 2026, the Wolf Moon, occurs on January 3, at exactly 5:03AM EST. At this moment the Sun will be at its fullest and brightest. You’ll have about three hours to enjoy this full Moon before sunrise. If you’re not a morning person, the Moon will look very full and bright when it rises later that night. In fact, it will look full and bright the evening before on the 2nd and the evening after on the 4th. January’s full Moon is the first of three full supermoons in 2026.
There are differing opinions on the origins of the name Wolf Moon. Some sources state that the name is Native American in origin and others say it is Anglo-Saxon in origin. Wolves inhabit every continent except South America and Antarctica. Their howling during the cold month of January would have been familiar to not only Native Americans but to all in the northern hemisphere. And for millennia, Native Americans and people across Europe named the months, and in turn the full Moons in those months, after characteristics they observed during the month. So, we will probably never know the true origin of the name Wolf Moon.
It was once thought that wolves howled during January because they were hungry. Turns out that’s not the reason at all they’re just very communicative. They howl to coordinate hunts, tell other members of the pack where they are or that the pack needs to meet up. A howl may warn about a predator, give the location of prey, or warn outsiders they’re straying too close to the pack’s territory. The pack will even have howling sing-alongs. Howling increases during the evening and early dawn hours when wolves are hunting and even more often during the winter breeding season when they are looking for mates.
Do wolves howl at the Moon? No, but they do point their muzzles up toward the sky when they howl. It’s all about acoustics – projecting their howl upwards carries the sound farther. Researchers have found no connection between the phases of the Moon and wolf howling. They howl more at night because they are nocturnal. Folklore connecting wolves and the Moon has been around since ancient times. As far back as the Neolithic Age we find wolves and the Moon together in images and later in literature. It’s this long history of connection that has evolved into today’s popular folklore belief that wolves howl at the Moon.
Although Wolf Moon is the name traditionally given to the January full Moon, there are others. The Assiniboine call this the Center Moon because it roughly marks the middle of the cold winter season. The Cree call it the “Cold Moon” because of the bone chilling, deep cold that January can bring. Other weather-related names include the Algonquin name Freeze Up Moon and the Dakota Severe Moon. There are also animal related names such as the Sioux name The Time When Wolves Run Together, and the Haida name Bear Hunting Moon.
Put on a warm coat and hat and take some time to enjoy the Wolf Moon.