Full Moon field guide · UK dates
The Wolf Moon
A midwinter almanac name associated with wolves heard calling during long January nights.
What Wolf Moon means
Wolf Moon is the popular English-language almanac name for January's full Moon. Modern accounts connect it with wolves calling in midwinter; the label is now widely used, but it is not one universal historic naming system.
It falls in the heart of northern winter, when a high full Moon can travel a long arc across the UK night sky.
Next UK occurrence
Fri, 22 Jan 2027
Exact full Moon: . Brown lunation 1287.
Three-year almanac
Wolf Moon dates, 2026–2028
| Year | UK date and time | Lunation | Calendar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1274 | Open month | |
| 2027 | 1287 | Open month | |
| 2028 | 1299 | Open month |
02
What to notice from the UK
Look east around sunset for the rising Moon, then notice how high it climbs by the middle of the night.
The disc looks full on the nights around the exact instant. A low Moon may look larger or warmer because of perspective and the atmosphere, not because its phase changed.
03
Other recorded labels
Almanacs do not share one universal naming system. This month is also listed as After Yule in an Old English grouping and Quiet Moon in a modern Celtic-revival grouping.