It has been an epic year as far as full moons go, and tonight 2023 will set with one more, the December Cold Full Moon.
Not the most cryptic of names as far as they go, but with the unseasonably warm Christmas now in the review mirror and wintery weather on the way, an apt one at least.
This year skygazers have enjoyed several supermoons – four according to some organisations, two by others, but all spectacular – one of which was a rare blue supermoon.
We’ve also enjoyed another 12 months of meteor showers, a stunning Jupiter-Venus ‘kiss’, a whole host of aurora thanks to a particularly active Sun and a cracking view of Uranus (sorry, blame the Christmas sherry).
But what is special about tonight’s full moon, and why should we brave the cold to see it?
Why is it called the Cold moon?
Well, it’s pretty simple to be honest. The Cold full moon is always the one closest to the winter solstice, when it’s typically pretty cold.
However, it is also sometimes known as the Long Night moon (again, fairly obvious) and the Oak moon. This one is a little more cryptic, and like other full moons, hails from ancient Druid traditions – in this case, it is the time of year Druids harvested mistletoe from oak trees.
How to see the Cold full moon
- Find a dark location The darker the sky, the better you’ll be able to see the Moon
- Dress for cold weather The temperature is falling, and Moon watching involves a lot of standing around, so keeping warm can be tricky
- Avoid light pollution If you’re near city lights, try to find a spot that’s away from the city centre
- Be patient If the sky isn’t completely clear the Moon may occasionally be obscured by cloud
- Download stargazing apps like Night Sky and Stellarium to better understand where things are in the sky
What are the different phases of the Moon?
As with all full moons, tonight the full face of the Moon will be lit up by the Sun. The Moon reflects the light back to Earth, and we enjoy a stunning view (weather dependent).
The Moon goes through eight phases as it orbits Earth, starting with the new moon. At this point, it is invisible, because it is between us and the Sun. This means the far side of the Moon is lit up, and our side is in the shadow.
Occasionally when this happens the Earth, Moon and Sun are in complete alignment, which causes a solar eclipse.
After a new moon we see a waxing crescent moon. Waxing refers to the fact it is growing bigger every day, and crescent describes the shape.
When the Moon is exactly half lit up, this is known as a first quarter moon.
After that it becomes a waxing gibbous moon, and then a full moon. At this point the Moon appears much brighter than the phases either side of it.
Once the full moon has passed, the next phase is known as waning gibbous, waning meaning shrinking.
This gives way to a last quarter moon, then a waning crescent moon.
When the waning crescent disappears, it becomes a new moon again.
Each full lunar cycle takes 29.5 days.
What are supermoons?
Supermoons are full moons that occur when the Moon is closer to the Earth than normal.
They appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter in the sky than the faintest full moon of the year.
This is because the Moon travels around Earth on an elliptical orbit, meaning it is slightly oval, not a perfect circle. The point at which it is closest to us is called lunar perigee. The opposite point, when it is furthest away, is known as lunar apogee.
However, there is no internationally accepted distance from Earth at which a full moon earns the title ‘super’, hence why there is disagreement over how many supermoons we saw this year.
But whether they’re officially super or not, there was no denying this year’s full moons put on quite the display.
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