When to see December's final full moon of 2025: The 'cold moon' supermoon

The final full moon of the year will be a supermoon, though it will differ slightly from November's version. Observers in Texas can catch the full moon on Thursday, December 4, with its peak at 5:14 p.m. Central Time. It will rise in the eastern sky as the sun sets.

Why It's Called the Cold Moon

The term "cold moon" originates from the Old Farmers Almanac, which uses names derived from Native American, colonial American, and European traditions to describe full moons based on northern hemisphere seasonal characteristics. Among the Mohawk, the December full moon is linked to the winter season. It occurs around the same time as the winter solstice, coinciding with the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Other tribes have their own winter-themed names: the Lakota and Northern Ojibwe call it the Mid-Winter Moon, while the Dakota refer to it as the Moon When the Deer Shed Their Antlers.

Supermoon Explained

A supermoon happens when the full moon aligns with the point in its orbit closest to Earth, known as perigee. At this distance of 224,895 miles, the moon appears larger and brighter than a standard full moon. NASA notes that slight variations in the moons orbit affect whether a full moon qualifies as a supermoon, which typically looks about 7% bigger and 15% brighter than usual.

When the moon is at its farthest point, called apogee, about 252,595 miles away, a full moon is called a micromoon.

This Years Moon Patterns

The December cold moon is the third in a sequence of four consecutive supermoons spanning 2025 and 2026, with the final one arriving in early January 2026. Supermoons often occur in clusters of three or four, though sequences of two to five are possible. January's wolf moon will conclude this current series, and another cluster is set to begin late in 2026.

Upcoming Moon Events

• October 7, 2025: Harvest Moon / Hunter Moon
• August 28, 2026: Sturgeon Moon / Partial Lunar Eclipse
• August 12, 2026: Solar Eclipse (not visible across the U.S.)

Author: Gavin Porter