ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will witness the first supermoon of 2026 on Saturday evening, a rare celestial event that will coincide with the Quadrantid meteor shower, which is active in early January, the country’s space agency said Friday.
The Jan. 3 supermoon will be the last in a cycle that began in October 2025, while also marking the first supermoon of the new year. Supermoons occur when a full moon coincides with the Moon’s closest approach to Earth, making it appear larger and brighter than usual.
“The January 3 supermoon, traditionally known as the Wolf Moon, marks the final supermoon of the ongoing cycle began in October 2025,” Pakistan’s national space agency, SUPARCO, said in a statement, adding that it also “simultaneously represents the first supermoon of 2026.”
The agency said the supermoon would rise in Pakistan at 5:51 p.m. local time on Jan. 3 and remain visible through the nights of Jan. 3 and Jan. 4, with illumination reaching 99.8 percent.
According to SUPARCO, the Moon will be at a distance of about 362,312 kilometers (225,130 miles) from Earth during the event, making it appear six to seven percent larger and up to 10 percent brighter than a typical full moon.
