Wolf Moon 2027

Wolf Moon meaning

January's full moon takes its name from the wolves that could be heard howling outside villages in the depths of winter. The howling was long read as hunger, though wolves howl in midwinter to find each other and mark territory in the breeding season. It is the first full moon of the calendar year.

Also called: Old Moon, Ice Moon, Moon after Yule. The names come from the seasonal calendars of Native American, Colonial American and European tradition, as collected in the Old Farmer's Almanac; each one marks what was happening on the land in that month.

When is the Wolf Moon?

• 2026Saturday, 3 January 2026, 10:03 UTCEvery phase in January 2026
• 2027Friday, 22 January 2027, 12:17 UTCEvery phase in January 2027
• 2028Wednesday, 12 January 2028, 04:03 UTCEvery phase in January 2028
• 2029Tuesday, 30 January 2029, 06:04 UTCEvery phase in January 2029

Times are UTC; your local time is shown in the opening line. A full moon is an instant, but the Moon looks full to the eye the night before and the night after as well.

Best time to see the Wolf Moon

Go out at moonrise on the evening of Fri 22 Jan: look east just after sunset, when the Moon sits on the horizon, looks largest, and takes on its warmest colour. The Wolf Moon rides high: in the northern hemisphere the full moon nearest midwinter takes the highest path of the year across the sky and stays up longest.

Tonight's moonrise time for your location is on the live moon page.