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moon occurs at the same instant worldwide, the clock time (and possibly the date) varies by time zone. For general reference, however, we can say the moon is full all night tonight, lighting up the nighttime from dusk till dawn.
• For the mainland U.S. the moon turns full this Saturday evening, January 26. The full moon occurs at 11:38 p.m. Eastern Time, 10:38 p.m. Central Time, 9:38 p.m. Mountain Time and 8:38 p.m. Pacific Time.
• Elsewhere around the world, the full moon has different clock times. Looking at the worldwide map above, you can see that the full moon comes at midnight in South America and northeastern North America, at sunrise in Africa and at noon in eastern Asia. All these places will see a full-looking moon lighting up the sky tonight from dusk till dawn. But to see the moon at the instant of full moon, the moon has to be above your horizon on the nighttime side of the world.
• In both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the January sun - unlike the January full moon - rises south of due east and sets south of due west. In the Northern Hemisphere, these far-southern risings and settings of the sun give us the short days of winter. South of the equator, the same far-southern sunrises and sunsets bring long summer days. But the full moon lies opposite the sun, mirroring the sun's place in front of the backdrop stars for six months hence.
• And that's why tonight's moon - like the July sun - will follow a high path across the sky as seen from the northern part of the globe - and a low path as seen from the southern. This January full moon rises north of due east around sunset, climbs highest in the sky around midnight and sets north of due west around sunrise. Watch the full moon shine from sundown to sunup tonight.
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