Thursday’s cold moon is the last supermoon of the year. Here’s how and when to watch it

Cool giant moon On her way. On December 4, Earth’s satellite will grace us with one of the last astronomical views of 2025. Not only will this be the last full moon of the year, but it will also be a cold moon — which refers to the frigid temperatures typical for this time of year — and finally, a cold moon. Supermoon. Here’s how and when to enjoy the end-of-year sky spectacle.

What is a supermoon?

The term supermoon refers to the full moon that occurs when our satellite is at perigee, the point at which its orbit brings it closest to our planet. (The Moon’s orbit is elliptical, and its distance from Earth ranges between about 407,000 kilometers at apogee, the point of maximum distance, and about 380,000 kilometers at perigee.)

In addition to being the third consecutive supermoon of the year, according to what you reported EarthSkyIt will be about 357,000 kilometers away from us, making it the second closest full moon of the year. It will therefore also be the second largest and brightest.

Although most of us won’t notice any difference in size compared to a regular Moon (it appears up to 8 percent larger to us), its brightness may exceed that of a regular Moon by 16 percent. Moreover, this time, it will be 100% illuminated just 12 hours after it reaches its perigee point.

Cold giant moon

In addition to its name, which refers to the cold temperatures of this period, the December full moon will be the last of 12 full moons in 2025 and the highest of the year. As the winter solstice approaches on December 21, the sun will be at its lowest point in the sky, so the full moon will be at its highest point. In other words, this means that the extremely cold moon will be particularly high in the sky. like EarthSky It indicates, however, that it is not the closest full moon to the solstice on December 21. Despite occurring 17 days earlier, the first full moon of 2026 will occur on January 3, just 12 days after the solstice. This will be the fourth and last supermoon in a row.

How are you enjoying the show?

Although the moon may appear full the night before and the night after, the exact time for the full moon is 6:14 PM ET on Thursday, December 4. In general, moonrise is the best time to experience the so-called lunar illusion, during which the moon appears larger than usual to us. NASA still doesn’t have a scientific explanation for why this happens, but as you might expect, the effect is greatest during a supermoon. So, weather permitting, find an elevated spot or meadow with an unobstructed view of the eastern horizon and enjoy the last moon show of the year.

This story originally appeared on Wired Italy It was translated from Italian.