The first full moon of 2026 will appear much larger than normal.<\/p>\n
The moon on Saturday, named the \u201cWolf Moon\u201d, will be the fourth straight supermoon, reaching its lunar phase as its closest to earth.<\/p>\n
Those wishing to see it at its largest have been urged to watch it over the horizon at dusk, thanks to an unexplained phenomenon<\/a> called the Moon Illusion that makes it appear bigger.<\/p>\n Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n According to NASA, the phenomenon is believed to be created by humans unwittingly comparing it to the size of objects such as buildings, compared to when there is nothing to compare it to in the night sky.<\/p>\n \u201cThis effect is related to how forced perspective works in paintings,\u201d NASA<\/a> public engagement specialist Preston Dyches said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut this isn\u2019t a perfect explanation, either. NASA astronauts in orbit also see the Moon illusion, and they have no foreground objects to act as distance clues.\u201c<\/p>\n Why is it called a \u201cWolf Moon\u201d?<\/p>\n No, it isn\u2019t a warning to arm yourself with silver to ward off werewolves.<\/p>\n January\u2019s full moon is named the \u201cWolf Moon\u201d by the Old Farmer\u2019s Almanac, a US reference book for gardening, moon phases and weather patterns which has been printed yearly since 1792.<\/p>\n The first full moon of every month receives a different name which has been passed down through oral storytelling, with origins to Native American, Colonial American and other traditional North American sources.<\/p>\n \u201cJanuary\u2019s Wolf Moon is not a traditional Native American name, it is thought to have English origins and was brought to North America by European settlers,\u201d the Old Farmer\u2019s Almanac explains.<\/p>\n \u201cWolves were more likely to be heard howling at this time. It was traditionally believed that wolves howled due to hunger during winter, but we know today that isn\u2019t accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the full list of The Old Farmer\u2019s Almanac names for full moons:<\/p>\n January: Wolf MoonFebruary: Snow MoonMarch: Worm MoonApril: Pink MoonMay: Flower MoonJune: Strawberry MoonJuly: Buck MoonAugust: Sturgeon MoonSeptember: Corn MoonOctober: Hunter MoonNovember: Beaver MoonDecember: Cold Moon<\/p>\n The supermoon<\/a> is just the first of a number of lunar anomalies occurring in 2026, but the last of its kind until November\u2019s Beaver moon.<\/p>\n This year will also have 13 full moons, with an extremely rare pair of full moons occurring in May \u2014 also known as a blue moon.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Heatwave warning for millions of Australians<\/p>\n 1 min read<\/p>\n