Incredible: the Moon would have enough oxygen for people to live 0:52
(CNN) -
Bundle up for the last full moon of the year.
It will reach full illumination on Saturday, December 18 at 11:32 p.m. (Miami time), according to NASA, but you can continue its way across the sky just before sunset.
Known as the "cold moon" by the people of Mohawk, this full moon occurs just a few days before December 21, the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, also known as the winter solstice.
No wonder it is also called "the moon of the long night."
NASA's Parker Solar Probe Becomes First Spacecraft To "Touch"
Sun
"My encouragement is always for people to go out whenever they can to look at the moon," said Noah Petro, head of NASA's planetary geology, geophysics and geochemistry lab.
"There is a moment when the moon is full, but we cannot perceive that with the naked eye."
Seeing the full moon is not something that rewards precision, unlike a solar eclipse, he said.
The last full moon of 2020, also known as the cold moon, rises behind the San Gabriel Mountains at sunset, as seen from Kenneth Hahn State Park on December 29, 2020 in Los Angeles.
For better visualization, Petro said would-be moon watchers should go out at night, look up and to the east.
"It would be better to be away from tall buildings, bright lights, and obstacles."
advertising
Because the December full moon occurs during such a long night in the Northern Hemisphere, "it will shine over the horizon for a longer period of time than most full moons," said CNN meteorologist Tom Sater.
Why is it a micro-moon?
Saturday's full moon will also look 17% smaller than the average full moon, Petro said.
Because the moon takes an elliptical orbit around the Earth, the moon is closer or further away.
Saturday's full moon coincides with the point where the moon is furthest from Earth, also known as apogee, making this moon a micro-moon.
In contrast, a supermoon occurs when the moon is closest to Earth or perigee.
This year it saw supermoons in the months of April, May and June.
The moon will look full to our eyes one day on either side of the peak of illumination, Petro said.
"It might be cloudy in one place, so if you can't go out on Saturday, go out on Sunday."
The last full moon of the decade, with a saffron tint, looms over Los Angeles on December 11, 2019.
Moon lovers in the southern hemisphere can go out at night to see a moon that appears full.
However, it will be a mirror image of what people in the northern hemisphere will see, Petro said.
"The moon is not rotating, it is your perception of where it is because you are walking on this globe."
Other names for this December full moon include "bitter moon" in China and "oak moon" in medieval English, according to Star Walk.
In the southern hemisphere, the full moon on Saturday will occur near the summer solstice on December 21, leading some to call it the "strawberry moon," as the inhabitants of the northern hemisphere called their full moon in June, since which is the first of four moons in the summer season.
One last meteor shower
Tonight will be the best meteor shower of the year 1:16
The last major celestial event of the year will be the annual Ursid meteor shower that can be seen between December 17 and 25, peaking on Christmas night.
However, given the presence of this full moon, only the brightest meteors will be seen.
"No two moons are identical," Petro said.
"The moon that rises in a month from Saturday is a little different and so I really hope ... that everyone begins to develop a relationship with the moon."
