The Wolf Moon in 2027: date, time and why it has that name
January's full Moon, the Wolf Moon, is full on . In a northern winter it rides high and stays up through most of a long night.
It is also a supermoon: 357,635 km from Earth when full, inside the 361,400 km line.
Next three
The next three Wolf Moon dates
- 357,635 kmSupermoon
- 360,257 kmSupermoon
- 367,036 km
The Wolf Moon is the first full Moon of January by UTC date. In a time zone far ahead of or behind UTC, the date you see for it can fall in the next or previous month.
The name
Why it is called the Wolf Moon
American almanacs call January's full Moon the Wolf Moon. The story told with the name is a deep-winter one: the nights are long and cold, food is scarce, and wolves were heard howling around camps and farms, so the Moon of that month took their name.
Other lists name the same Moon differently. The Anglo-Saxon month list calls January After Yule, the month that follows the midwinter feast, and the modern revival list calls this Moon the Quiet Moon.
- Usually in
- January
- Next full
- Distance then
- 357,635 km
- Supermoon then
- Yes
- Next three
- Jan 22, 2027 · Jan 12, 2028 · Jan 30, 2029
In the sky
How the Wolf Moon looks
The Wolf Moon rises as the Sun sets, which in a northern January means late afternoon, and it comes up north of due east. For a few minutes it looks orange and wide. It is no wider than usual: a pea held at arm's length covers it whether it hangs above the rooftops or stands high overhead. The extra size comes from comparing it with houses and bare trees, and the amber from light that crossed a thick layer of air, which scatters out the blue.
With the Sun low in January, the full Moon is high. At 40 degrees north it reaches roughly 70 degrees up around local midnight and stays above the horizon for 14 or 15 hours. Fresh snow throws its light back, and a clear night can be bright enough to cast sharp shadows.
In the Southern Hemisphere January is midsummer. The Wolf Moon comes up late, after a long bright evening, and takes a short, low arc through the northern sky, reaching only about 35 degrees at 35 degrees south. It is the same Moon with the season turned over.
- Northern Hemisphere
- The Moon rises in the east near sunset
- Southern Hemisphere
- The same Moon, markings turned upside down
- Colour
- Gold near the horizon, white once it climbs
- Rises
- Around sunset
- Sets
- Around sunrise
Questions people ask
Quick answers
When is the next Wolf Moon?
January 22, 2027 (UTC). The cards above show the next three, in your time zone.
Why is it called the Wolf Moon?
American almanacs call January's full Moon the Wolf Moon. The story told with the name is a deep-winter one: the nights are long and cold, food is scarce, and wolves were heard howling around camps and farms, so the Moon of that month took their name.
Is the Wolf Moon a supermoon?
The next one is: the Moon is 357,635 km away, closer than 361,400 km.
Does the Wolf Moon change colour?
The Moon only looks gold or orange when it is low and its light crosses a lot of air. Higher up it looks white.
Is this name the same everywhere?
No. These are the US almanac names. Other regions and traditions name the same full Moons differently, and the names are not one single tradition.