Tonight we turn our gaze towards the sky for the first full moon of 2026: on January 3rd the Wolf Moonso called in American tradition due to the legendary link of this moon with wolves. We don’t miss out!
Why Wolf Moon
As he explains Moongiantalthough there is no scientific evidence that really connects these beautiful animals with the lunar cycle (despite the iconic image of the wolf howling at the full moon), in fact, it is undeniable that wolves are noisier and more present in January, when the breeding season begins, howling more frequently and aggressively to establish their territory.
The bond is so strong that he is also remembered in other traditions: the Gaelic word for January, for example, Faoilleachderives from the term used for wolves, faol-chueven though wolves haven’t existed in Scotland for centuries.
The Saxon word for January is poi Wulf-monathor WolfMonth (i.e. “month of the wolf”), and in Japan the festival of the wolf god is held in January, Ooguchi Magami. Finally the tribe Seneca ties the wolf to the Moon so strongly that he even believes that a wolf gave birth to the Moon by “singing” it in the sky.
Lunar calendar 2026, let’s prepare for another year of wonderful (and free) shows offered by the sky
The Moon-Jupiter “kiss”.
On January 3 the Moon will not only be full: our satellite will in fact also be in conjunction with the planet Jupiter. And the show – weather permitting – will be visible to the naked eye (on the map sky of January 3, 2026 at approximately 8.00 pm).
Among other things, as the UAI also reports, we will actually witness one suggestive concentration of bright stars which includes the stars Castor and Pollux.
Happy New Year!
Sources: Moongiant / UAI
