ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will see the first supermoon of 2026 on Saturday evening. The rare celestial event will coincide with the Quadrantid meteor shower, which peaks in early January, the country’s space agency said in a statement.
The Jan. 3 supermoon will also be the last in a cycle that began in October 2025. At the same time, it will mark the first supermoon of the new year.
Supermoons occur when a full moon aligns with the Moon’s closest point to Earth. This makes the Moon appear larger and brighter than usual.
“The January 3 supermoon, traditionally known as the Wolf Moon, marks the final supermoon of the cycle that began in October 2025,” Pakistan’s national space agency SUPARCO said. It added that the event also represents the first supermoon of 2026.
SUPARCO said the Moon will rise in Pakistan at 5:51 p.m. on Jan. 3. It will remain visible through the nights of Jan. 3 and Jan. 4. Moon illumination will reach 99.8 percent.
During the event, the Moon will be about 362,312 kilometers from Earth. At this distance, it will appear six to seven percent larger and up to 10 percent brighter than an average full moon, SUPARCO said.
The timing of the supermoon will add to its significance. It will coincide with the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower.
“The Jan. 3 supermoon offers an early highlight among the year’s celestial events,” SUPARCO said.
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The agency noted that supermoons usually appear in clusters of three to four. It said the current cycle will end with Friday’s event.
“The next supermoon cycle will begin in November 2026,” SUPARCO said. It added that no further supermoon will occur until late 2026.
