First super moon of 2026 makes appearance in sky

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over the Panlongshan section of the Gubeikou Great Wall in Beijing, capital of China. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)

This drone photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Fujin City, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Photo by Geng Xiqing/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Yimei District of Yichun, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Photo by Li Jiaxing/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Qiqihar City, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Photo by Wang Yonggang/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Beijing, capital of China. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Xinhua/Du Juanjuan)

This drone photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Nantong City, east China’s Jiangsu Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Photo by Xu Congjun/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Zhoushan City, east China’s Zhejiang Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Photo by Xing Shoumiao/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Fujin City, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Photo by Qu Yubao/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Beijing, capital of China. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Wenzhou City, east China’s Zhejiang Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Photo by Su Qiaojiang/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Tancheng County of Linyi, east China’s Shandong Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Photo by Zhang Chunlei/Xinhua)

This drone photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Shuangyashan City, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Photo by Han Yang/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Jiayin County, Yichun City, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Photo by Li Shaojun/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Yangzhou City, east China’s Jiangsu Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Photo by Meng Delong/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Jiamusi City, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Photo by Chen Zhiguo/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Heihe City, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Photo by Ma Yong/Xinhua)

This drone photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Harbin City, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Jiayin County, Yichun City, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Photo by Li Shaojun/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over the Ice-Snow World in Harbin City, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Photo by Zhang Shu/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Tongjiang City, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Photo by Liu Wanping/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over the Panlongshan section of the Gubeikou Great Wall in Beijing, capital of China. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Hai’an City, east China’s Jiangsu Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Photo by Gu Binbin/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Lianyungang City, east China’s Jiangsu Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Photo by Wang Jianmin/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 3, 2026 shows the moon over Nanjing City, east China’s Jiangsu Province. The first super moon of 2026, characterized by the moon’s unusually close proximity to Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance, showed in the sky on Saturday. (Photo by Su Yang/Xinhua)

Reference Link:- https://english.news.cn/20260103/758521b2f09144b0b3e1c796bd3e2995/c.html

Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan Founder & Chair, Global Silk Route Research Alliance

Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…