                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2026 January 3

                               Full Moonlight
          Image Credit & Copyright: Zhengjie Wu and Jeff Dai (TWAN)

   Explanation: The Full Moon is the brightest lunar phase, and tonight
   you can stand in the light of the first Full Moon of 2026. In fact, the
   Moon's full phase occurs on January 3 at 10:03 UTC, while only about 7
   hours later planet Earth reaches its 2026 perihelion, the closest point
   in its elliptical orbit around the Sun, at 17:16 UTC. January's Full
   Moon was also not far from its own perigee, or closest approach to
   planet Earth. For this lunation the Moon's perigee was on January 1 at
   21:44 UTC. You can also spot planet Jupiter, near its brightest for
   2026 and close on the sky to the Full Moon tonight. But while you're
   out skygazing don't forget to look for rare, bright fireballs from the
   Quadrantid meteor shower.

                       Tomorrow's picture: quasar x 4
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

