The final supermoon of the year is December's full moon. Here's what you need to know.

Stargazers should look to the skies this week to witness the years last supermoon. Decembers full moon, known as the cold moon, will reach its peak fullness at approximately 6:14 p.m. ET on Thursday, according to EarthSky.

The moon rises near sunset on Thursday, appearing fully illuminated because it is positioned directly opposite the sun in the sky, explained Noah Petro, NASA Artemis III project scientist. This mission plans to land astronauts near the moons south pole in 2027. Observers can also see the moon appearing full on Wednesday and Friday nights.

This supermoon is the third in a series of consecutive supermoons this year. A supermoon occurs when the moon is at perigee, its closest approach to Earth, making it look larger and brighter than usual. The term cold moon refers to the full moon that happens closest to the winter solstice, which falls on December 21 and marks the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

Various Indigenous tribes have their own names for Decembers full moon. The Cherokee call it the snow moon, while the Abenaki refer to it as the winter maker moon.

The brightness of winter supermoons can feel even stronger because bare trees dont obstruct the moonlight, Petro noted.

Decembers full moon coincides with anniversaries of historic lunar missions. Apollo 8, which launched on December 21, 1968, carried three astronauts into orbit around the moon, who delivered a holiday message from space on Christmas Eve. Apollo 17, launched on December 7, 1972, was the last mission to land humans on the lunar surface.

This moon also appears ahead of the Artemis II mission, expected between February and April 2026, which will send four astronauts on a 10-day trip around the moon.

I encourage everyone to go outside this week, enjoy the moon, reflect on Apollo 8 and 17, and consider that in just a couple of months, humans will once again journey around the moon with Artemis II, Petro said.

Additionally, the final two meteor showers of the year are approaching, with peak dates shared by the American Meteor Society and EarthSky.

Author: Benjamin Carter