Rare cosmic coincidence Wednesday in DC area
The sky is off to a great start for 2026 as Wednesday holds four sky events for stargazers in the D.C. area, including a rare celestial coincidence involving the sun and moon.
First up on Wednesday morning is the full wolf supermoon that occurs at 5:03 a.m. and can be seen in the west before dawn. Brilliant Jupiter will be nearby too. You can also use Almanac.com to determine moonrise and moonset for your location.
This is the fourth full supermoon in a row and the first full moon for 2026 and winter.
You can also check out Tuesday night as Jupiter and the almost full wolf supermoon will be visible in the east right after sunset, so get those smartphones and cameras ready.
Next up on Wednesday, the Earth is closest to the Sun at 12:16 p.m. Distance will be 91,403,637 miles, or 147,099,894 km.
Our rare cosmic coincidence Wednesday involves January’s supermoon and perihelion occurring on the same day.
According to a post by EarthSky, “A cool cosmic coincidence kicks off 2026! The first full moon of the year — a supermoon — will coincide with Earth’s closest approach to the sun, known as perihelion.”
A perihelion happens when the Earth, moon and sun will be unusually close and aligned. It’s coming together right as the new year begins on Jan. 2 to 3.
This triple event — closest moon, full moon and closest sun — is rare. A famous example was in January of 1912.
Experts later speculated that a supermoon near the sun’s 1912 perihelion might have dislodged an iceberg that drifted south for several months before striking the Titanic, according to Earth Sky. But there’s no way to know if that’s true.
The supermoon and perihelion of 2026 will have effects, some of which you can see, as explained in a video by EarthSky.
On Wednesday after sunset, the very bright, almost full wolf moon meets up with brilliant Jupiter in the east after sunset. The two will be close together for quite the sky sight with the moon illusion. Get out those smartphones and cameras for a beautiful astro pic session.
Jupiter is at its best and brightest for 2026 in January as it reaches opposition on Jan. 10. If Santa got you a telescope or binoculars, Jupiter must be on your list of things to see with them.
While you are up and about on Wednesday night, don’t forget the Quadrantid meteor shower. The bright moon causes very poor viewing conditions this year, but the shower produces bright meteors that should still be visible. Best time to view it is after midnight to dawn.
Bundle up, get a warm drink and friends to enjoy this sky sight. You can also tune in to listen live to the Quadrantids.
Check the Clear Sky Chart for your location for Jan. 3 to 4. If you have a partly cloudy sky forecast during these sky events, it is still worth looking up, as clouds can spectacularly add to the view and images.
See what else the sky has in store for us in January.
Follow Greg Redfern on his daily blog to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration