Why does December’s full moon sit so high in the sky?

Because a full moon always sits opposite the sun. When the winter sun skims the horizon, the moon takes the place it held in summer: so it climbs to the highest point of the year and stays visible almost all night.

Is December a good month for watching the moon?

One of the best: night begins early, the moon climbs high and the cold, often drier air makes the details of the relief sharper through binoculars. Wrap up warm and aim for the evenings around the first quarter, when the shadows trace the craters.

Lunar calendar · December

The moon in December December

December carries the Cold Moon, the full moon of the longest nights of the year. Around the winter solstice, it climbs to the highest point of its whole annual cycle and watches over the landscape for some fifteen hours on end, where the sun grows scarce. The cold, dry air makes its glow sharper than at any other time: this is the great month of moonlight.

The essentials

Traditional full moon: the Cold Moon, also called the Long Nights Moon
Origin of the name: the deep cold settling in and the longest nights of the year
Season: winter solstice: the night peaks, the light begins its return
In the sky: the highest full moon of the year, visible for some fifteen hours
Keyword for the month: silence

December’s lunar mood

December belongs to the night: around the winter solstice, the sun skims the horizon for a few hours and then gives way. The full moon does exactly the opposite. Always opposite the sun, it takes the place the sun held in summer: it rises early, climbs very high and watches over the landscape for some fifteen hours on end.

December’s cold air, often drier, gives moonlight a winter sharpness recognisable above all others. On snow or frost, the light reflects to the point where you can make out colors in the dead of night. This is, by far, the great month of moonlight.

Why the “Cold Moon”?

The name is the plainest in the calendar: December settles in the deep cold, and the month’s full moon watches over the longest nights of the year. The North American almanacs speak of the Cold Moon, but also of the Long Nights Moon, inherited from the traditions that measured winter by its darkness.

Everywhere in the northern hemisphere, this point of the year has gathered the festivals of light: people light fires and candles in the hollow of the longest night, waiting for the return of the sun. The Cold Moon presides over that turning, at its peak when the sun is at its lowest.

December’s gentle rituals

The gesture of the month: stepping out for ten minutes on an evening of full moon, somewhere it’s truly dark, and looking at the landscape lit without a lamp. With binoculars, aim instead for the evenings around the first quarter: the grazing shadows trace the craters far better there than at the full moon, where the relief flattens out.

Tradition reads here a time of silence and reckoning. The longest night carries within it the return of the light; many take the solstice to reread their journal of the year and note what they’d like to see grow with the lengthening days.

And in the garden?

In the garden, December rests, prunes when there’s no frost and plans the season to come: the detail awaits you in the December lunar gardening calendar.

The lunations of December (exact dates)

Calculated from the ephemeris, in London time, and rechecked every night. Each lunation has its own detailed page.

Frequently asked questions

Why does December’s full moon sit so high in the sky?: Because a full moon always sits opposite the sun. When the winter sun skims the horizon, the moon takes the place it held in summer: so it climbs to the highest point of the year and stays visible almost all night.
Is December a good month for watching the moon?: One of the best: night begins early, the moon climbs high and the cold, often drier air makes the details of the relief sharper through binoculars. Wrap up warm and aim for the evenings around the first quarter, when the shadows trace the craters.