The final full Moon of 2024 is visible in the night sky this weekend, and it's known as the 'Cold Moon'.
The 2024 Cold Moon will rise on 15th December at 15:14 UTC, making for a beautiful night-sky spectacle that signifies winter is truly here, and Christmas is on the way.
More winter stargazing
What's more, it will be joined in the night sky by two Solar System planets and perhaps the most famous winter constellation of all.
A bright full Moon is one of the most spectacular naked-eye sights in the night sky, and in this guide we'll tell you how to make the best of it.
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In the midst of December, before the advent of electric lighting, the bright full Cold Moon must have been a great comfort to people who happened to be out and about at night time.
This is because a bright full Moon really is an arresting sight, and truly does illuminate our surroundings once the Sun has set.
Many astronomers avoid a full Moon because its glare makes it difficult to see night-sky phenomena like meteor showers, and especially deep-sky objects like galaxies, nebulae and star clusters.
In 2024, for example, the Cold Moon will interrupt the Geminid Meteor Shower at its peak.
Nevertheless, a full Moon is a beautiful sight to behold and there's still a lot you can enjoy if you're stepping outside to observe the Cold Moon this weekend.
Why it's called a Cold Moon
Every full Moon of the year has a nickname, and there are a few head-scratchers among them, such as 'Strawberry Moon' or 'Worm Moon'.
These names don't actually mean that full Moon will look any different to any other full Moon, however.
The full Moon nicknames reflect changes in nature: so a Strawberry Moon is the June full Moon because that's when strawberries are harvested.
A Worm Moon in March heralds the beginning of springtime and the emergence of earthworms in warmer weather, providing food for animals waking up from hibernation.
The Cold Moon is a little more self-explanatory, in that its name signifies the beginning of winter and the onset of the darker, colder months.
Other equally self-explanatory names for the Cold Moon include the Frost Moon and the Winter Moon.
Observing the Cold Moon
From the UK, the Cold Moon will rise in the northeast, visible on 15th December from 15:14 UTC.
It will climb higher and higher as midnight approaches, and will make for a beautiful night-sky sight, as it will be between the planets Mars and Jupiter and close to the constellation Orion.
The bright full Moon will also extremely close to the radiant of the Geminid Meteor Shower, much to the dismay of meteor watchers!
Here are some of the best ways of making the most of the full Cold Moon this weekend.
How to observe the Cold Moon
- See if the rising full Moon looks bigger - this is known as the Moon illusion
- Does the rising Moon also look orange or even rusty red?
- While not as favourable as a crescent or gibbous Moon, observe the Moon with binoculars or telescope
- Photograph the Moon with a DSLR camera
- Photograph the Moon with a smartphone
- Get out your paper and pencils and sketch the Moon
- Full Moon is a good time to observe lunar ray ejecta systems
- See if you can spot a halo or arc around the Moon
- See if you can spot a Moonbow
If you do observe or photograph the Cold Moon, get in touch by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
