Skip to main content
Space Space
Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter
RSS
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Space Exploration
    • Launches & Spacecraft
      • Private spaceflight
      • Human spaceflight
      • SpaceX
      • Blue Origin
      • Virgin Galactic
      • United Launch Alliance
    • Search for Life
      • Exoplanets
      • SETI
      • Aliens
    • Missions
      • International Space Station
      • Space Shuttle
      • Apollo
      • Artemis
      • Voyager
      • Asteroid & Comet Missions
      • Mars rovers
      • New Horizons
      • Parker Solar Probe
    • Satellites
  • Astronomy
    • Solar System
      • The Sun
      • Asteroids
      • Mars
      • Comets
      • Mercury
      • Jupiter
      • Saturn
      • Pluto
      • Venus
      • Dwarf Planets
      • Neptune
      • Uranus
    • The Moon
      • Moon Phases
    • The Earth
      • Live 4K video from space
      • Climate Change
      • Weather
    • The Universe
      • Stars
      • Black Holes
      • Dark Universe
      • Galaxies
    • Deep Space
      • James Webb Space Telescope
      • Hubble Space Telescope
  • Stargazing
    • Skywatching Kit
      • Telescopes
      • Cameras
    • Astrophotography
    • Eclipses
      • Lunar Eclipses
      • Solar Eclipses
  • Entertainment
    • Space Movies & Shows
      • Star Trek
      • Star Wars
    • Space Games
    • Space Toys & Lego
    • Space Books
    • Technology
      • Drones
      • Aerospace
    • Science
      • Particle Physics
      • Astrophysics
  • Videos
    • Subscribe to our Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Web Notifications
  • home
  • Space Exploration
    • View Space Exploration
    • Launches & Spacecraft
      • View Launches & Spacecraft
      • Private spaceflight
      • Human spaceflight
      • SpaceX
      • Blue Origin
      • Virgin Galactic
      • United Launch Alliance
    • Search for Life
      • View Search for Life
      • Exoplanets
      • SETI
      • Aliens
    • Missions
      • View Missions
      • International Space Station
      • Space Shuttle
      • Apollo
      • Artemis
      • Voyager
      • Asteroid & Comet Missions
      • Mars rovers
      • New Horizons
      • Parker Solar Probe
    • Satellites
  • Astronomy
    • View Astronomy
    • Solar System
      • View Solar System
      • The Sun
      • Asteroids
      • Mars
      • Comets
      • Mercury
      • Jupiter
      • Saturn
      • Pluto
      • Venus
      • Dwarf Planets
      • Neptune
      • Uranus
    • The Moon
      • View The Moon
      • Moon Phases
    • The Earth
      • View The Earth
      • Live 4K video from space
      • Climate Change
      • Weather
    • The Universe
      • View The Universe
      • Stars
      • Black Holes
      • Dark Universe
      • Galaxies
    • Deep Space
      • View Deep Space
      • James Webb Space Telescope
      • Hubble Space Telescope
  • Stargazing
    • View Stargazing
    • Skywatching Kit
      • View Skywatching Kit
      • Telescopes
      • Cameras
    • Astrophotography
    • Eclipses
      • View Eclipses
      • Lunar Eclipses
      • Solar Eclipses
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • Space Movies & Shows
      • View Space Movies & Shows
      • Star Trek
      • Star Wars
    • Space Games
    • Space Toys & Lego
    • Space Books
    • Technology
      • View Technology
      • Drones
      • Aerospace
    • Science
      • View Science
      • Particle Physics
      • Astrophysics
  • Videos
    • Subscribe to our Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Web Notifications
Trending
  • Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse 2026: Live updates
  • Night sky tonight!
  • Best Telescopes
  • Aurora Forecast
  • Space Calendar
  • Live 4K Sen video from space!
  • Best Drones
  • Lego Star Wars deals
  • Next Full Moon
  • Best Star Projectors
  • Solar System Planets
  • Best Binoculars
  1. Stargazing

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

News
By Brett Tingley published 7 January 2023

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

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

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 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.

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9

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

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9

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

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9

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

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9

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

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9

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

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9

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

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9

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

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9

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

Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
Brett Tingley
Brett Tingley
Social Links Navigation
Managing Editor, Space.com

Brett is curious about emerging aerospace technologies, alternative launch concepts, military space developments and uncrewed aircraft systems. Brett's work has appeared on Scientific American, The War Zone, Popular Science, the History Channel, Science Discovery and more. Brett has degrees from Clemson University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In his free time, Brett enjoys skywatching throughout the dark skies of the Appalachian mountains.

Latest in Stargazing
night sky graphic showing mars on the left and jupiter on the right, above rolling countryside.
4 bright planets light up March evenings — here's where and when to look
 
 
blood moon shining red above a bed of clouds below against a black background.
Total lunar eclipse weather forecast: Will US skies be clear for the blood moon?
 
 
graphic showing a blood moon during a total lunar eclipse in the center of a laptop screen with a pink and yellow "live" sign in the top right corner.
Watch the 'blood moon' total lunar eclipse live online tonight with these free livestreams
 
 
image of the night sky with planets stretching across almost the entire sky. they are labelled with white circles. the bright moon is in the center.
Astrophotographer captures rare 6-planet parade spanning nearly 180 degrees of sky
 
 
Bright star-like objects shine in the evening sky above a snowy road lined by trees on the left, as the glow of the setting sun lights up the horizon on the right of the image.
February's 'rare planetary alignment' peaks tonight — here's what to look for in the planet parade
 
 
two panel image on the left is a close up view of a blood red moon during a total lunar eclipse and on the right is a rising sun behind a mountain.
See the 'impossible' as sunrise and a total lunar eclipse appear at the same time on March 3
 
 
Latest in News
A cylinder-like shape with stars within. There's a glow toward the left and a grid pattern all around it.
How fast is the universe actually expanding? Ripples in spacetime could finally solve 'Hubble tension'
 
 
a montage of two photographs showing nighttime rocket launches, including a time lapse exposure
SpaceX deploys two more Starlink groups into orbit on March 1 bicoastal launches (video)
 
 
A white, glowing egg-shaped object lies in the centre of the black-and-white image, on a dark, starry background. Glowing streaks spread upwards from the object. In the top left, a yellow arrow marked ‘Sun’ points straight down, and a blue arrow marked ‘Velocity’ points towards the 7 o’clock direction. In the bottom left, an inset shows the same object on a lighter grey starry background, filled with ragged-edged, concentric egg shapes gradiented black-to-white
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS shines in new image | Space photo of the day for March 2, 2026
 
 
Split image showing - Left: close up view of partial lunar eclipse with the lower portion of the moon colored crimson red and the upper portion a lighter brighter white hue. Right: The Blood Moon as depicted in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
From Hyrule to the heavens: Here's what 'The Legend of Zelda' gets right (and wrong) about the blood moon
 
 
This Week In Space podcast: Episode 199 — The Obsolete Astronaut?
This Week In Space podcast: Episode 199 — The Obsolete Astronaut?
 
 
a montage of three photos showing a rocket launch, satellites being deployed into Earth orbit and a timelapse exposure of another rocket launch
February finale: SpaceX wraps up month with three Starlink launches this week
 
 
MORE FROM SPACE...
  1. A cylinder-like shape with stars within. There's a glow toward the left and a grid pattern all around it.
    1
    How fast is the universe actually expanding? Ripples in spacetime could finally solve 'Hubble tension'
  2. 2
    From Hyrule to the heavens: Here's what 'The Legend of Zelda' gets right (and wrong) about the blood moon
  3. 3
    Total lunar eclipse weather forecast: Will US skies be clear for the blood moon?
  4. 4
    4 bright planets light up March evenings — here's where and when to look
  5. 5
    SpaceX deploys two more Starlink groups into orbit on March 1 bicoastal launches (video)

Space is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...