Anthony Wood joined Space.com in April 2025 after contributing articles to outlets including IGN, New Atlas and Gizmodo. He has a passion for the night sky, science, Hideo Kojima, and human space exploration, and can’t wait for the day when astronauts once again set foot on the moon.
Meteors & Meteor Showerssoared through the winter sky on Jan. 3, putting on an awe-inspiring display as it flooded the night with reflected sunlight to kick off a new year of spectacular lunar milestones.
Read on to see jaw-dropping images of the first full moon and supermoon of 2026. January's moon — often known as the"Wolf Moon" in reference to the packs of famished carnivores that can be heard howling this time of year — turned full as it sat close to its minimal distance toA supermoon can appear up to 30% brighter and 14% larger than the smallest moon of the year, presenting a gorgeous sight to the naked eye and an unmissable target for photographers attempting to capture the fully-lit face of Earth's closest cosmic companion.January full moon 2026: When, where and how to see the Wolf MoonExperienced photographers seized the opportunity to line up impressive compositions as the Wolf Moon prowled low over the eastern horizon on the nights surrounding Jan. 3, before tracking it as the lunar disk leapt high overhead to hunt the stars through thePhotographer Gary Hershorn captured a gorgeous view of the moon hanging above the New York City skyline, where it joined the artificial glow of the city to cast columns of light across the Hudson River, as wisps of cloud played through the sky overhead. Hershorn also captured a classic image of the lunar disk as it appeared to skim the Statue of Liberty's torch in New York around sunset on that same day . The next image was taken on the night of Jan. 3 as the moon rose over the historic hilltop that plays host to the Glastonbury Tor, in Somerset, U.K.Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors Matt Cardy's photo appears to show the moon balanced atop the 14th-century tower, as stargazers gather to witness the natural light show. Cardy also used his telephoto lens to capture the lunar disk as it passed through a collection of Christmas lights, the unfocused light from which encircled the silvery moon with a multitude of yellow-orange spherespositioned at the apex of a traditional tower in the city of Lianyungang in China's Jiangsu Province on Jan. 3.See stunning photos of November's full 'Beaver Moon' — the biggest supermoon of 2025 Kirill Kudryavtsev opted to capture both the ancient and the new at once, by snapping a commercial airliner as it soared past the lunar disk in the skies over Frankfurt, Germany, on Jan. 2, leaving a dense exhaust trail that bisected the dark basaltic plains scarring the lunar disk. The next shot immortalized the moon as its light reflected in the freezing waters of a wild river running through the snowy landscape in the Mengen district of Bolu, Turkey, on Jan. 2, mere hours before the lunar disk turned full. Its orange light is the result of an atmospheric effect called Rayleigh Scattering, wherein particles deflect the bluer wavelengths of light reflected from the lunar surface, while allowing redder wavelengths to pass through relatively unaffected. Photographer Adnan Farzat captured the Wolf Moon as it rose over Paris above an ocean of clouds on the night of Jan. 3. Subtle dark patches on the lunar surface betray the presence of colossal basaltic plains, where lava flows coated vast swathes of Earth's natural satellite, before solidifying in the extreme environment of space. Sun Yongdong froze a moment in time as the orange moon rose above the serene mountains in Beijing, China, later that same night. Our next lunar view comes courtesy of Ismeal Adnan Yaqoob, who imaged the lunar disk on the night of Jan. 3 as it passed the apex of the Royal Clock Tower over Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Finally, photographer Aditya Irawan was able to take a gorgeously detailed shot of the full Wolf Moon as it hung in the skies over West Java in Indonesia. Tycho Crater dominates the right side of the lunar disk, as the Kepler and Copernicus impact sites brighten the southern lunar maria. Feeling inspired to capture your own shots of the lunar disk? Then be sure to read our roundup of theIf you would like to share your lunar astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo, comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com. in April 2025 after contributing articles to outlets including IGN, New Atlas and Gizmodo. He has a passion for the night sky, science, Hideo Kojima, and human space exploration, and can’t wait for the day when astronauts once again set foot on the moon.Don't miss the last full moon of 2025 as the 'Cold Supermoon' takes to the autumn sky on Dec. 4 The next frontier in space is closer than you think – welcome to the world of very low Earth orbit satellites
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