The cold moon of Thursday is the last supermoon of the year. Here’s how and when to watch it
A cold cloud moon On its way On December 4, Earth’s satellite will delight us with one of the last astronomical sights of 2025. Not only will it be the last full moon of the year, but it’s also a cold moon — referring to the cold temperatures typical of this time of year — and finally, a supermoon. Here’s how and when to best enjoy this year-end skyscape.
What is a supermoon?
The term supermoon refers to a full moon that occurs when our satellite is at perigee, the point where its orbit brings it closest to our planet. (The moon’s orbit is elliptical and its distance from the Earth varies between about 407,000 km at the zenith, the point of maximum distance, and about 380,000 at the perigee.)
Besides being the third consecutive supermoon of the year, as by sky earthIt will be about 357,000 km from us, making it close to the second full moon of the year. As a result, it will also be the second and brightest.
Although most of us don’t see any difference in size compared to a normal full moon (it appears to be up to 8 percent larger), it can be 16 percent brighter than a normal full moon. Furthermore, this time, it will be 100 percent bright just 12 hours after its perigee.
cold supermoon
In addition to its name, which refers to the period’s cold temperatures, the December full moon will be the last of 12 full moons in 2025 and the highest month of the year. As the winter solstice approaches on December 21st, the sun is at its lowest point in the sky, so the full moon is at its highest point. In other words, this means that the super cold moon will be high in the sky. as sky earth It notes, however, that this is not the closest full moon to the December 21 Solstice. While it occurs 17 days earlier, the first full moon of 2026 will occur on January 3 – just 12 days after the solstice. This will be the fourth and last supermoon in a row.
How to enjoy the show
Although the moon may appear full both the night before and the night after, the exact time of the full moon is scheduled for 6:14 PM ET on Thursday, December 4th. In general, moonrise is the best time to be exposed to the so-called lunar illusion, during which the moon appears larger than usual to us. NASA doesn’t yet have a scientific explanation for why this happens, but as you might expect, the effect is greater during a supermoon. So, weather permitting, find a spot or high meadow with an unobstructed view of the eastern horizon and enjoy the last lunar display of the year.
This story originally appeared on WIRED Italia and has been translated from Italian.
