From eclipses to supermoons: Seven night sky spectacles to watch for in 2026

There will be three supermoons in 2026, starting on January 3, known as the Wolf Moon, the first Moon of the new year. This will be the fourth supermoon in a row, after the three we experienced at the end of 2025.

The other two supermoons in 2026 are the Beaver Moon on November 24, followed by the Cold Moon on December 23.

A supermoon occurs at the point in the Moon’s orbit when it is closest to Earth and appears up to 15% brighter and 30% larger than normal full moons.

There will also be an extra full moon on May 31, known as a blue moon, which is the name given to the second full moon in a calendar month.

We usually experience 12 full moons per year, but since this does not match the lunar cycle exactly, we experience an additional full moon roughly every two and a half years. This is where we get the phrase ‘once in a blue moon’, as it only happens every few years.

If you want to take photos, be sure to turn off your phone’s flash, enable night mode, and use ambient light. Oh, and check out the BBC Weather forecast.