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  1. Home
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  3. Skywatching

1st full moon of 2023 was a wonderful Wolf Moon worldwide (photos)

By Brett Tingley
published 7 January 2023

The first full moon of 2023 wowed skywatchers around the globe.

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(Image credit: Armend Nimani/AFP via Getty Images)

TOP TELESCOPE PICK:

A Celestron telescope on a white background

(Image credit: Celestron)

Want to get a closer look at the moon? We recommend the Celestron Astro Fi 102 (opens in new tab) as the top pick in our best beginner's telescope guide. Don't forget a moon filter if you'll be looking up at the full Wolf Moon!

The first full moon of 2023 lit up the night sky on Jan. 6 in a brilliant beginning to a new year of stargazing. 

The January Full Moon, called the Full Wolf Moon, appeared full to the casual observer a few days before and after its actual peak on Friday, Jan. 6, and stargazers around the world captured amazing views of the lunar event. You can see amazing photos of the January 2023 full moon here.

In this image, the silhouette of a Orthodox cross above the Gracanica Medieval Monastery is seen against a full moon in the town of Gracanica during the ceremonial burning of dried oak branches, symbolizing the Yule log during Orthodox Christmas eve celebrations in Gracanica, on Jan. 6, 2023.

Read more: Full moon names for 2023 (and how they came to be)

Be sure to see our guides for the best binoculars and the best telescopes to view the Full Wolf Moon or anything else in the sky. For capturing the best skywatching images you can, we have recommendations for the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography. We even have a guide on how to photgraph the moon!

Editor's Note: If you get a great photo of the Wolf Moon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

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(Image credit: Muhammed Said/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Silhouette of a mosque's crescent in front of a full moon in Urim village of Idlib, Syria on Jan. 6, 2023.

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(Image credit: Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Full Wolf Moon rises over the US Marine Corps War Memorial in Virginia, United States on Jan. 6, 2023.

Read more: What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2023

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(Image credit: Ozkan Bilgin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Full Wolf Moon rises over clock tower in the Ipekyolu district of Van, Turkiye on Jan. 6, 2023.

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(Image credit: Sameh Rahmi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Wolf Moon, the first full moon of 2023, rises over Gaza City, on Jan. 6, 2023. 

Read more: Full moon calendar 2023: When to see the next full moon

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(Image credit: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

The full moon is seen over the city of Yichang, Hubei province, China, on the evening of Jan. 6, 2023.

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(Image credit: Thilina Kaluthotage/NurPhoto via Getty)

Many points of interest on the face of the Full Wolf Moon can be seen in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Jan. 6, 2023. 

Read more: Moon facts: Fun information about the Earth's moon

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(Image credit: Onur Dogman/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

A seagull seen flying in front of the Full Wolf Moon that appeared in the evening sky in Istanbul on Jan. 6, 2023.

Read more: January full moon 2023: The 'Wolf Moon' joins the Gemini twins

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(Image credit: Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Full Wolf Moon rises over the US Marine Corps War Memorial in Virginia, United States on Jan. 5, 2023.

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Brett Tingley
Brett Tingley
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Editor, Space.com

Brett is a science and technology journalist who is curious about emerging concepts in spaceflight and aerospace, alternative launch concepts, anti-satellite technologies, and uncrewed systems. Brett's work has appeared on The War Zone at TheDrive.com, Popular Science, the History Channel, Science Discovery, and more. Brett has English degrees from Clemson University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In his free time, Brett is a working musician, a hobbyist electronics engineer and cosplayer, an avid LEGO fan, and enjoys hiking and camping throughout the Appalachian Mountains with his wife and two children. 

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