December's full moon rises this weekend - here's how to see the last full moon of 2024

The last full moon of 2024 lights up the sky this weekend and welcomes the holidays.

December’s cold full moon rises overnight on Saturday (December 14) and stays in the sky all night until it sets at sunrise on Sunday (December 15). The full moon will rise in the constellation Taurus, right next to the bull’s horns, near the neighboring constellation Auriga, the Charioteer. There will be a bright Jupiter nearby.

The December full moon also coincides with the peak of the Geminid meteor shower, which is expected to be most active on the night of December 13th. The moon could make it difficult to see all but the brightest meteors, but sky watchers should be able to see a few “shooting stars” with a little patience and warm clothing.

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The exact time of the December full moon is on Sunday morning, December 15th, at 4:02 a.m. EST (0902 GMT). But already on Friday evening (December 13), the moon will be 97.9% illuminated, according to the time and date, so it will appear quite full to most observers. Two days after the full moon, the moon remains over 90% illuminated, even though the moon rises later and later each day.

In addition to Jupiter, December’s full moon will also feature a bright Venus in the sky, shining in the southwest as the “evening star” before setting a few hours after sunset. Saturn will also play a prominent role, remaining high in the sky in the constellation Aquarius for several hours after the moon rises. Mars will rise a few hours after the Moon, just above Gemini.

December’s Cold Moon gets its name from the fact that the nights in the last month of the year are generally long and cold. Other names for the December full moon include the Oak Moon from some Celtic traditions, the Snow Moon in Cherokee traditions, or the Long Night Moon, a name from the Mohicans.

If you want to try photographing December’s full moon yourself, check out our guide to photographing the moon. And if you don’t have everything you need to photograph the night sky, check out our best cameras for astrophotography and the best lenses for astrophotography.

Editor’s note: If you take a great photo of the December full moon that you’d like to share with Space.com and our news partners for a story or image gallery, submit images and comments to [email protected].

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December’s full moon rises this weekend – here’s how to see the last full moon of 2024

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