When is The Full Moon in December? The Cold Full Moon 2023

Why is the Full Moon in December called the Cold Moon?

Typically called the Cold Moon, this moon comes at the time of year when the change in weather from fall can be particularly felt. The nights are their longest and darkest so the Full Moon provides some needed light. 

Thankfully, the moon is above the horizon for a long time as it takes a high trajectory due to it being opposite the low Sun. Old English and Anglo-Saxon names include the Moon Before Yule and the Long Night Moon. 

A Celtic variation is the Oak Moon, although they also called it the Cold Moon. In China, it is known as the Bitter Moon.

Related reading: The Meaning Behind the 12 Full Moon Names

Observing this Cold Full Moon with astronomical equipment

The Moon offers a variety of interesting features that you can observe, even with modest equipment. The Moon is without a doubt the easiest celestial object to observe with a backyard telescope or a pair of astronomical binoculars.

The Moon can shine a rather bright light when it is full so the use of a special lunar filter can help improve your view of the Moon. This is an additional component that reduces the amount of light coming into the telescope, making it easier to see the details without being blinded.

It essentially works much like ‘sunglasses’ for your telescope. It reduces glare and improves contrast, allowing you to see more detail. The filter threads into the bottom of an eyepiece, so it’s easy to add or remove as needed.

A smaller aperture telescope (60mm to 80mm) can provide good views of the Moon. You’ll be able to see a decent amount of detail, including larger craters and lunar maria.

Medium aperture telescopes (around 100mm to 150mm) will give you a much better view, revealing many more features and allowing you to see smaller craters and other details.

With large aperture telescopes (200mm and above), that’s where the magic happens! You’ll see more detailed views of the edges of lunar maria, where they meet the highlands.You’ll be able to discern more subtle color differences in the lunar surface as well as mountain ranges casting subtle shadows on the lunar surface. You might be able to see hints of the lunar domes, which are gentle, rounded mounds thought to be the remnants of ancient lunar volcanoes.

Be sure to choose the correct eyepiece as it will greatly influence your field of view at the eyepiece. Try my field of view calculator to determine the best eyepiece for your lunar observations.

Planning your lunar observation with Stellarium

Stellarium is a free open-source planetarium for your computer that shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope. It’s one of my favourite stargazing applications. I use it on a weekly basis and it’s super easy to use.

Here is a step-by-step guide to using it for timing your observation of the upcoming cold full Moon:

1. Set Your Location: Open https://stellarium-web.org/ into your internet browser. In order to find accurate rise and set times for the Moon, you need to set your geographic location. Click on the “Location Window” button on the left toolbar. In the window that pops up, search for your city in the “Search” field, then click on your city’s name in the list. This sets your location.
2. Set the right time: Stellarium can show you the sky at any time, past, present, or future. To get the full Moon time, which in December will be the 27th, you need to click on the “Date/time window” button on the bottom right of the screen. You can also manually adjust the time by hours and minutes and see the sky move before your eyes.
3. Locate the Moon: Now, you need to find the Moon in the sky. You can do this by using the search function. Click on the “Search Window” button on the centre top of  screen. Type “Moon” into the search field and press enter. The view should now center on the Moon.
4. Check Moonrise and Moonset Times: Once the Moon is centered, an information box should pop up on the upper left corner of the screen. This box will provide various details, including the moonrise and moonset times for the chosen day.

Dates & Times for the other Moon phases in December

Besides the full moon, there are seven other major phases in the lunar cycle: the new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, waning gibbous, last quarter, and waning crescent. Each of these phases presents a unique view of the moon and contributes to the lunar cycle that we observe from Earth.

• Last Quarter on Monday, 04 December 2023 at 21:49 PST (05:49 UTC)
• New Moon on Tuesday, 12 December 2023 at 01:28 PST (09:28 UTC)
• First Quarter on Tuesday, 19 December 2023 at 10:39 PST (18:39 UTC)

The next Cold full Moon will take place on Sunday, December 15, 2024 4:02 AM EST (9:02 AM UTC).

Lunar Luminosity: the full Moon’s light influence on the world

The full Moon has a few notable influences on Earth:

• Tides: The gravitational pull of the Moon causes the Earth’s oceans to bulge out in the direction of the Moon.
• Light: A full Moon provides significant natural light at night, which can affect nocturnal animals’ behavior and plant life.
• Floral behaviours: Some species of plants, such as the Ephedra foeminea (also known as werewolf plant) releases its pollen in sync with the full Moon.
• Human behavior: There have been many theories on how the full Moon may affect humans differently, whether it be our sleep pattern, our cardiovascular system, menstruation cycles, and our mood and mental health. However, despite much scientific research that has been done in the last ten years,  scientists have not been able to prove the effects of the full Moon on human psychology or behavior.

Full Moon celebrations around the world

The full Moon has been a significant cultural symbol and theme throughout human history, appearing in myths, legends, superstitions, and rituals across the globe. In Thailand, the full Moon is celebrated every month during the infamous full Moon party.

In Sri Lanka, each full Moon day is a public holiday, known as Poya. Each Poya has its own name and is associated with Buddhist events. These days, people often go to the temple for religious observances.

In Wiccan traditions, an Esbat is a ritual observance of the full Moon. It’s a time for meditation, divination, and spellwork that align with the peak of the Moon’s energy.

In China, the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is celebrated during the full Moon of the 8th lunar month (usually September). Families gather to admire the Moon, eat mooncakes, and in some regions, light lanterns.

If you know of any more celebrations that should be added to this list, let me know in the comment.

How dull would our night sky be without our natural satellite? Why not use this full moon as an opportunity to plan a lovely stargazing date with someone special in your life?

Past Full Moons This Year

• The January ‘Wolf” Full Moon
• The February ‘Snow’ Full Moon
• The March ‘Worm” Full Moon
• The April ‘Pink” Full Moon
• The May ‘Flower” Full Moon
• The June ‘Strawberry’ Full Moon
• The July ‘Buck’ Full Moon
• The August ‘Sturgeon’ Full Moon
• The September ‘Corn’ Full Moon
• The October ‘Hunter’ Full Moon
• The November ‘Beaver’ Full Moon