January 2-4, 2026: The Full Wolf moon passes bright Jupiter near Pollux in Gemini. Learn when and where to look during early evening hours.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Jupiter, Wolf Moon, and Gemini
During January 2–4, the Full (Wolf) moon approaches and passes bright Jupiter during the early evening hours. With Venus approaching superior conjunction with the sun, Jupiter is the brightest starlike body in the night sky. As it nears opposition, the planet rises about 45 minutes after sundown and appears progressively farther westward as the night advances. It is high in the south after midnight and low in the west-northwest during morning twilight.
The Full moon is opposite the sun, meaning that it mirrors Jupiter’s apparent westward journey during these three evenings.
Jupiter retrogrades in front of Gemini, near Pollux, one of the Twins, and appears to move westward compared to the starry background from night to night. As opposition approaches, the planet’s westward motion is easily seen over just a few evenings. Jupiter passes Castor, the other Twin, in a wide conjunction on January 5th.
During These Three Nights
• Moon phase: Full on January 3rd at 4:03 a.m. CST.
• Extreme northern rising and setting: On the evening of January 2nd and the morning of January 3rd, the moon rises and sets near its northernmost points. The moon’s orbit is tilted 5° to Earth’s orbital plane (the ecliptic), allowing the lunar orb to rise and set farther north than the summer solstice sun.
Extreme northern Full-moon rise and set events repeat on an 18.6-year cycle. They may have been noted at several sites, including Chimney Rock National Monument and the Newark Earthworks in Ohio. Archaeologists are uncertain how these events were incorporated into Ancestral Pueblo and Hopewell cultures.
• On the evening of January 3rd, the bright Wolf moon appears below (east of) an imaginary line drawn from Jupiter to Pollux.
What to See Three Hours after Sunset
• January 2: The bright Wolf moon stands nearly 40° above the eastern horizon and about 15° to Jupiter’s lower right. Jupiter is 6.9° to Pollux’s lower right.
• January 3: The Full moon is 25° above the east-northeast horizon and lies below the Jupiter–Pollux line. The three bodies span nearly 7.0°, fitting tightly into the same binocular field.
• January 4: The bright moon, now slightly humped (gibbous), is 13° above the east-northeast horizon. The Jupiter–Moon separation is 17.3°, while Jupiter remains 7.0° to Pollux’s lower right.
Look for the moon as it approaches and passes Jupiter and Pollux during the early evening hours.
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