January Full Moon 2027: The Wolf Moon

January 2027 moon phases

The table lists the four main phases of the moon in January 2027, in Eastern Standard Time (EST) and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). At full moon, the moon is on the opposite side of Earth from the sun, so the whole face turned toward Earth is lit.

Times are calculated with standard astronomical algorithms, the methods Jean Meeus published in Astronomical Algorithms, and are accurate to about a minute. The exact moment of full moon is the same everywhere on Earth; only the local clock time, and sometimes the calendar date, changes. To plan around it, mark the date on the January 2027 calendar.

A lunar eclipse can happen only at full moon, when the moon passes through Earth's shadow. Most full moons miss the shadow because the moon's orbit is tilted about 5 degrees to Earth's orbit around the sun.

Convert the full moon time to your time zone

Times on this page are given in EST (UTC − 5), the clock time on the US East Coast in January, and in UTC. To convert:

• Central (CST): EST − 1 hour
• Mountain (MST): EST − 2 hours
• Pacific (PST): EST − 3 hours
• UK (GMT): same as UTC
• Central Europe (CET): UTC + 1 hour
• India (IST): UTC + 5 hours 30 minutes
• Sydney and Melbourne (AEDT): UTC + 11 hours

North America and Europe are on standard time in January, so these offsets hold all month, while southeastern Australia is on daylight saving time. Because of these offsets, a full moon close to midnight UTC can fall on one date in the Americas and the next date in Asia and Australia.

Why it's called the Wolf Moon

Wolf Moon is the January name popularized by the Old Farmer's Almanac, which publishes a traditional name for each month's full moon. The Almanac attributes its names to a mix of Native American, early colonial American and European sources. No single name was universal: different Native American peoples had their own names for the moons of the year.

The usual explanation is that wolves were heard howling more often in the cold, hungry weeks of midwinter. Wolves do not actually howl at the moon; howling is how they keep in touch with their pack and mark their territory.

An older English name for the January full moon is the Moon after Yule, Yule being the old name for the midwinter and Christmas season. Full moon names are folklore rather than astronomy, and astronomers simply call it the full moon. For more January traditions, see January facts and the January birthstone.

January full moon dates 2020–2040

Every January full moon from 2020 to 2040, in EST and UTC:

The average time from one full moon to the next, called the synodic month, is about 29.53 days (29 days, 12 hours and 44 minutes). Twelve of those cycles add up to about 354 days, so the January full moon arrives about 11 days earlier each year, then jumps about 19 days later when it would otherwise slip back into December.

Two full moons in January: the blue moon

Because a lunar cycle is shorter than January's 31 days, a full moon in the first day or two of the month can be followed by a second one at the end of the month. The second full moon in a calendar month is popularly called a blue moon; the name has nothing to do with the moon's color. An older definition counts the third full moon in an astronomical season that has four.

Between 2020 and 2040, January has two full moons only in 2037, on January 1 and January 31 in Eastern Time, and the table above lists both. January 2018 also had two, and in North America that February had no full moon at all. February is the only month short enough to miss a full moon entirely.

Tips for viewing and photographing the Wolf Moon

• Watch moonrise. The full moon rises in the east around sunset. Near the horizon it looks larger and more orange; the size is an optical illusion, while the color comes from moonlight passing through more of the atmosphere. Moonrise times depend on your location, so check a local almanac or weather app.
• Expect a high moon. In the Northern Hemisphere, a winter full moon climbs higher in the sky than a summer one because it sits opposite the low winter sun.
• Use a tripod and a long lens. A lens of 200 mm or longer makes the moon fill more of the frame. For a full moon in a dark sky, start at f/11 with a shutter speed of 1/ISO (for example, 1/100 second at ISO 100), then adjust.
• On a phone, tap the moon to focus and lower the exposure until surface details appear instead of a white disk.
• Add a foreground such as a skyline, tree line or hill to show scale, which works best at moonrise.
• Plan for the cold. Batteries drain faster in freezing weather, so carry a spare in an inside pocket.

Related

• January facts
• Birthstone: garnet
• Zodiac signs
• Days of January
• Printable calendars
• January 2027 calendar