Thursday’s Cold Moon Is the Last Supermoon of the Year. Here’s How and When to View It

a cool supermoon is on its way. On December 4, the Earth’s satellite will delight us with one of the last astronomical sights of 2025. Not only will it be the last full moon of the year, but it will also be a cold moon – which refers to the cold temperatures typical of this time of year – and, finally, a supermoon. Here’s how and when to enjoy this end-of-the-year sky spectacle.

What is a supermoon?

The term supermoon refers to a 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 varies between about 407,000 km at apogee, the point of maximum distance, and about 380,000 km at perigee.)

In addition to being the third consecutive supermoon of the year, as reported EarthSkyIt will be about 357,000 km away from us, making it the second-closest full moon of the year. As a result it will also be the second largest and brightest.

Although most of us won’t notice any difference in size compared to a normal full moon (it appears up to 8 percent larger to us), its brightness may be up to 16 percent brighter than a normal full moon. This time, it will be 100 percent illuminated just 12 hours after its perigee.

cold supermoon

Apart from its name, which reflects the cold temperatures of this period, the December full moon will be the last of 12 full moons in 2025 and the hottest full moon of the year. As the winter solstice approaches on December 21, the Sun is at its lowest point in the sky, so the full moon is at its highest point. In other words, this means that the supercooled Moon will be especially high in the sky. As EarthSky However, points out that this is not the closest full moon to the solstice of December 21. While this occurs 17 days earlier, the first full moon of 2026 will occur on January 3 – exactly 12 days before the solstice. This will be the fourth and last supermoon in a row.

how to enjoy the show

Although the moon can appear full both before and after nightfall, the exact time of full moon is set for Thursday, December 4 at 6:14 pm ET. In general, moonrise is the best time to be subject to the so-called lunar illusion, during which the Moon appears larger to us than usual. NASA doesn’t yet have a scientific explanation for why this happens, but as you might expect, the effect is greatest during a supermoon. So, if the weather permits, find a high 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 Italia and is translated from Italian.