Cold moon: Here's when you can watch the last, longest full moon of the year
The December full moon is also known as the Cold Moon and as it peaks tonight, the Selenophile in us can't keep calm. If you are a stargazer like us, here's when, where and how you can watch the last and the longest full moon of 2021
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a full Moon shone on Saturday night, December 18, 2021, at 11:32 p.m. EST which will appear full for three days. It means that around this time, from Friday evening through Monday morning, we will enjoy a full moon weekend but what is special about this Cold Moon or the December full moon is that as it peaks tonight, it will be the last and the longest full moon of 2021 hence, the Selenophile in us can't keep calm.
When to watch the Cold Moon?
NASA informed, “The Moon will be in the sky for a total of 15 hours 33 minutes, with 14 hours 34 minutes of this when the Sun is down, making Saturday evening into Sunday morning, Dec. 18 to 19, the longest full Moon night of the year. The Moon will appear full for three days around this time, from Friday evening through Monday morning, making this a full Moon weekend.”
The Cold Moon is also known as the Frost Moon or the Winter Moon, since it is the last full moon of December's cold and lengthy nights before the winter solstice or the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Owing to the ancient druid traditions of harvesting mistletoe from oak trees, the old Europeans called the Cold Moon as the Oak Moon.
Where and how to watch the Cold Moon?
As per Noah Petro, chief of NASA's planetary geology, geophysics and geochemistry lab, people should get out whenever they can to look at the moon. “There is an instant when the moon is its fullest, but we can't perceive that with the naked eye," he shared while adding that the moon will still appear full to our eyes, a day after peak illumination.
Pointing out that moon watchers should stake out a spot and look up and east, away from tall buildings and bright lights or obstructions, Petro asserted, "It may be cloudy in one place so if you can't get out Saturday, get out Sunday.”
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