The first full Moon of the year, Wolf Moon, appeared on January 13 (Monday) in North America, which has been identified as the final one in a series of four consecutive supermoons, appearing larger and brighter due to its proximity to Earth.

The moon will appear full into Wednesday morning as it occurs once every 26 months as Earth passes between Mars and the sun, according to NASA.

For viewers in South Africa and Eastern Europe, the full moon will occur on Tuesday, January 14, as it will be past midnight in those time zones.

The opposition of Mars is the only moment when the entire disk of the planet is fully illuminated by the sun, allowing for a “full Mars” to be seen alongside the full moon during the rare occultation. Observers across North America saw Mars disappearing (ingress) and then reappearing (egress) while it was positioned in the constellation Gemini.

Mars appeared fully illuminated and brighter than at any other time since December 2022. At magnitude -1.4, it’s currently one of the brightest objects in the sky—though it’s outshone about 25-to-1 by Venus, which is currently visible in the southwest after sunset, shining at magnitude -4.3.

“Mars is playing hide-and-seek with the moon,” the communications manager for Astronomers Without Borders, Andrew Fazekas, told USA TODAY.

“Mars and the moon will compete in brightness,” said Fazekas.

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This month’s lunar event will coincide with a rare phenomenon known as a lunar occultation, where the moon will temporarily cover Mars while the red planet will shine brightly. It will be hidden behind the moon for a short time, creating a unique viewing opportunity for astronomers and enthusiasts alike.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac stated that the year’s first full moon is best known as the wolf moon since the howls of wolves were more likely to be heard during winter.