This year’s Wolf supermoon has graced North Staffordshire’s skies. Visibility was excellent, though temperatures were bitter for many gazing up at the first full moon of the year, also called the Wolf Moon.
The Royal Observatory in Greenwich explains that the name stems from the howling of starving wolves as they hunted for food during the depths of winter.
This marks the fourth consecutive supermoon following October’s Harvest Moon, November’s Beaver Moon and December’s Cold Moon.
Those who missed the spectacle will have to wait until November for the next opportunity to witness the Moon appearing so large and brilliant in the sky, though May 2026 will feature two full Moons, making it an exceptional year with 13 rather than 12 full Moons.
The Wolf Moon reached its peak fullness at approximately 10am on Saturday, according to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.
A supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with its closest approach to Earth in its orbit – making it appear up to 14% larger and 30% more luminous than when at its most distant point.
Jess Lee, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, explained on Friday: “Every full moon throughout the year has its own unique nickname. The January full moon is often called the Wolf Moon, a name inspired by wolves that were thought to roam during the long winter nights.”