The final full moon of 2023 will reveal its peak illumination tonight, filling the holiday season sky with moonlight.
Space.com reported that December’s full moon will reach maximum fullness around 7:33 p.m. Eastern Time on December 26. The moon could start to be seen on the evening of Christmas Day and will continue through Wednesday morning.
This month’s full moon is also known as the Cold Moon, is attributed to the Mohawk people of New York, according to the Farmer’s Almanac. The name refers to the icy conditions of December as winter deepens in the Northern Hemisphere though climbing temperatures and one of the warmest years in over a century brought a Christmas without snow this year.
According to NASA, the cold moon takes the highest path along the top of the sky because it is opposite to the low sun, so the moon will be visible in the sky longer than at other times of the year. And because the full cold moon is occurring so close to the winter solstice, long nights will offer ample viewing opportunities.
Once the Cold Moon sets and leading up to the first new moon of 2024, the moon will rise an hour later each day and will be visible for less and less of the night. The first new moon of 2024 falls on Jan. 11 and marks the first full lunar cycle of the new year.
The next full moon will be the wolf moon on Jan. 25.
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