Cold Supermoon rises tonight: Here is all you need to know

A Cold Supermoon will dazzle the world in the last month of 2025 on December 4. It gets its name from the frigid temperatures across the world at this time of the year. It is the third consecutive supermoon of 2025, and will be followed by another one in January 2026. Here is your guide to watching the last supermoon of the year, an astronomical delight that you do not want to miss. Supermoons get their name from their size as seen from Earth. When the Moon is at perigee, that is, the closest point to Earth, it becomes visibly larger and brighter, and is hence called a supermoon. December's full moon is also known as Cold Moon since the Northern hemisphere is welcoming icy nights and early winter cold at this time of the year.

What is special about December's supermoon?

According to EarthSky, the moon will be about 357,000 km away from us, making it the second-biggest supermoon of 2025. While you might not be able to tell the difference in size compared to a regular full moon, it will be much brighter, exceeding it by about 16 per cent. It will also be 100 per cent illuminated just 12 hours after its perigee. The Cold Moon will be at its highest point in the sky since the Sun will be at its lowest point because of the winter solstice on December 21.

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Best time to see Cold Supermoon

The supermoon will dazzle Earthlings on the night of December 4, although it will continue to appear larger for a few days after as well. The best time to see it is right after sunset, including in India. At this time, it will appear particularly bigger because of the so-called lunar illusion, which still lacks a scientific explanation. So a supermoon will be even bigger at moonrise, creating a mesmerising spectacle.