The last full moon of 2025 will occur tonight (December 4). For keen skywatchers, this is their last chance to witness this astronomical phenomenon. Cold Moon, the name of December’s full moon, reflects how the first full moon of winter rises at the coldest time of the year.

The month saw the positioning of major planets, bright meteor showers and an important lunar eclipse on the calendar. The last supermoon is one of the most anticipated events. Supermoon is the name given to the Moon when it is full and at its closest point to Earth in its orbit.

What makes it special? The December 2025 full moon will rise on Thursday and Friday or December 4 and 5, respectively. This last full moon marks the arrival of winter and is also the last full moon of the year. A total of three supermoons were seen this year in October, November and December.

Read this also The new study says satellites may be obstructing about 40% of Hubble’s images. A supermoon is slightly larger and brighter than a normal full moon. This occurs when the Moon’s perigee, or the point in the Moon’s orbit, is closest to Earth.

Sometimes, it occurs at the same time as the full moon and at that time it is called a supermoon. Some reports have claimed that the supermoon could be 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than the smallest full moon of the year.

To understand why this phenomenon occurs, one must understand that the Moon’s orbit around the Earth is not a perfect circle and is approximately 3,82,900 kilometers away. Apogee (highest point) and perigee change every month due to the gravitational forces of the Sun, Earth, and other planets.

And, these forces also make the Moon’s orbit irregular. For a supermoon, it reportedly needs to be at its closest point in its 27-day orbit and be completely illuminated by the Sun, and this happens every 29. 5 days.

This alignment is rare and occurs only a few times a year because the Moon’s orbit changes direction as the Earth revolves around the Sun. How to get the best view? The Cold Moon supermoon will reportedly shine in the northeast between 3pm and 5pm. People who are in a dark enough area will be able to see the moon rising above the horizon.

The full moon will reportedly be orange in color. You won’t actually need a telescope to see the supermoon.