The ultimate full moon of 2023, December’s Cold Full Moon, will rise on Tuesday (Dec. 26) in time to catch the festive season but just missing Christmas Day.
In response to Within the Sky, the fully-illuminated Cold Moon will rise at around 3:05 p.m. EST (2005 GMT), with the sun setting at 16:33 EST (2133 GMT). The total moon will set at around 8:12 a.m. EST (1312 GMT) the next day after the sun has risen around an hour earlier at 7:16 a.m. EST (1216 GMT), meaning the Cold Moon might be visible for all the night.
Within the build-up to the ultimate full moon of 2023, because the festive season approached, the moon has risen an hour earlier every day, and the portion of the illuminated lunar face has been growing, or “waxing.” Following the Cold Moon and leading as much as the primary latest moon of 2024, which falls on Jan. 11 and marks the primary full lunar cycle of 2024, the moon will rise an hour later every day and might be visible for less and fewer of the night.
As this happens, the illuminated lunar face will recede, a progression that astronomers called “waning.” By the point of the brand new moon, the lunar face might be completely dark, and the moon will rise at sunrise and set at sunset.
Related: Full moon calendar 2023: When to see the following full moon
The major name for December’s full moon, the Cold Moon, is attributed to the tradition of the Mohawk people, in response to the Farmer’s Almanac. The name refers back to the icy conditions of December because the grip of winter tightens across the Northern Hemisphere.
Alternative names for December’s full moon from Native American traditions also reflect the increasingly frigid conditions and the deepening of winter. These include the “Snow Moon” within the Haida and Cherokee traditions and the Western Abenaki people’s moniker for the December full moon, the “Winter Maker Moon.”
Other names for December’s full moon describe how the depths of winter impact natural world. These include the Cree’s splendidly evocative “Frost Exploding Trees Moon” and the Oglala people’s “Moon of the Popping Trees” name. These nature-based monikers also include the Dakota people’s incredibly descriptive name for the December full moon, the “Moon When the Deer Shed Their Antlers.”
The Mohican name for the December full moon, the “Long Night Moon,” refers to the actual fact it rises on the nights near the winter solstice, that are the longest nights of the yr. That name is especially apt this yr as December 2023’s full moon will linger over the horizon for longer than most full moons this yr resulting from its proximity to the Winter Solstice — the day of the yr with the least daytime, which this yr occurred on Thursday, Dec. 21.
The subsequent full moon and the primary of the approaching yr is January’s Wolf Moon, which rises on Jan. 25, 2024.
For those who are hoping to catch an up-close have a look at the following full moon, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are an excellent place to start out.
For those who’re trying to snap photos of those celestial objects or the night sky typically, take a look at our guide on photograph the moon, in addition to our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.
Editor’s Note: