Final Full Moon of 2023 Illuminates Night Sky After Christmas Day, Will Shine Brightly on Wednesday

The last full moon showed up a day after Christmas Day. If you missed it, you still have a chance to see it in its brightest stage on Wednesday.

The Last Full Cold Moon of December 2023

The final full moon of 2023 lit up the night skies Tuesday. Although it was late for Christmas, it still arrived to catch the festive season, days before the New Year.

The fully lighted Cold Moon is scheduled to rise at approximately 3:05 p.m. Sunset is at 16:33 EST (2133 GMT), with an elevation of EST (2005 GMT). At approximately 8:12 a.m. EST (1216 GMT), the full moon will set after the sun has risen, about one hour earlier, at 7:16 a.m. EST (1312 GMT) the next day, which indicates that the Cold Moon will be visible the entire night.

Stonehenge UK shared a snap of the spectacular Cold Moon on X, formerly Twitter. It also announced that it would shine brightly on Wednesday (Dec. 27), a great time to view it for those who missed it on Tuesday.

Per NASA, the full moon peaked on Tuesday. However, if the weather is good, it will remain visible in the next few days.

As the holidays drew near, the moon began to rise an hour earlier every day, anticipating the last full moon of 2023. This was known as "waxing." After the Cold Moon, the moon will rise an hour later every day in the run-up to the first new moon of 2024, which falls on Jan. 11 and marks the first full lunar cycle of 2024. The moon will be visible for a decreasing amount of the night.

When this occurs, the lunar face that is lighted will gradually disappear, a process known to astronomers as "waning." The lunar face will be entirely dark at the new moon, and the moon will rise at sunrise and set at sunset.

December Full Moon -- The Cold Moon

The Farmer's Almanac claims that the Mohawk people's custom gave December's full moon its common name, the Cold Moon. The name alludes to December's cold weather when winter's grasp tightens across the Northern Hemisphere.

Alternative Native American names for the full moon in December also allude to the growing cold and winter lengthening. These include the Haida and Cherokee names for the full moon in December, known as the "Snow Moon," and the Western Abenaki people's term, the "Winter Maker Moon."

Other titles for the full moon in December explain the effects of the deep winter on the flora and fauna. These include "Moon of the Popping Trees" for the Oglala people and the beautifully evocative "Frost Exploding Trees Moon" for the Cree. Among these names derived from nature is the Dakota people's highly suggestive term for the full moon in December, "Moon When the Deer Shed Their Antlers."

The Mohicans named the full moon in December the "Long Night Moon" since it rises on the longest nights of the year, the evenings near the winter solstice. That moniker is especially appropriate because the full moon in December 2023 will be visible longer than most full moons this year. After all, it falls close to the Winter Solstice on Dec. 21 this year.

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