The full moon in December 2024 is just around the corner and brings with it a lunar rarity

The sky has an early Christmas present in store this weekend: the last full moon of the year, the Cold Moon, appears early Sunday, December 15th.

Although the moon will officially be full on Sunday, it will still look plenty full in the night sky on both Saturday and Monday.

This month’s full moon will also feature a lunar rarity: According to TimeandDate.com, the full moon will rise and set at its northernmost points on the horizon on December 15, 2024 – the result of a full moon cycle that occurs every 18.6 years.

A lunar rarity: the moon reaches its northernmost point on the horizon

The Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles reports that our moon reaches the end points of its orbit around Earth every 18.6 years. “We are observing this as the moon rises and sets on the horizon at its northernmost and southernmost positions,” the observatory said in a statement.

On December 15, we will watch the moon rise farther north than ever before, the observatory said. This happens during what is known as the “great lunar standstill.”

What is the “Great Lunar Standstill”?

The moon’s greatest standstill is due to the rotation of the moon’s inclined orbit over an 18.6-year cycle, the observatory said.

According to Space.com, this happens because the moon doesn’t follow the same path as the sun. “Its rising and setting positions on the horizon are constantly changing due to the movements of the Earth and the Moon,” Space.com reported.

The Chimney Rock (Colorado) Interpretive Association further explains: “The Moon’s orbit around the Earth oscillates, or wobbles, causing the Moon to gradually rise at different points on the horizon over the years. The entire cycle of wobbling from north to south and north again takes 18.6 years.

“At each end of its oscillation, the moon appears to pause and rise at the same point on the horizon for about three years before beginning to move again to the opposite end of the oscillation. This pause is called the great lunar standstill.”

When is the full moon?

December’s full moon will peak at 4:02 a.m. EST on Sunday, December 15, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Why is it called the cold moon?

December’s full moon is most commonly known as the Cold Moon, which is “a Mohawk name that expresses the frigid conditions of this time of year when the cold weather really begins to affect us,” says the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

NASA agrees, adding, “The Cold Moon gets its name because December is the month when it starts to get really cold, even though our coldest average temperatures are in January.”

It is also called the “Moon of the Long Night”.

Another name for the December moon is the long night moon because it is near the winter solstice, which marks the longest night of the year.

The winter solstice this year is on Saturday, December 21st at 4:19 a.m. EST.

When is the first full moon in 2025?

January’s full moon, the first of 2025, will rise on Monday, January 13th. It is called the Wolf Moon because, according to the almanac, the howling of wolves was more likely to be heard in winter.

Contributors: Cailey Gleeson, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; Iris Seaton, The Asheville Citizen Times

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The full moon in December 2024 is just around the corner and brings with it a lunar rarity

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