This Thursday the UK General Election will take place, but if you’re a fan of stargazing, there’s another reason to mark December 12 off in your diary.
That night, a Full Cold Moon is set to appear in the night sky.
This phenomenon takes place when the Moon is located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun, meaning its face is fully illuminated.
This particular full moon has a range of alternative names, including the Cold Moon, Yule Moon and Long Night Moon.
NASA explained: “Europeans call the December full moon the Moon before Yule. Yule is an old northern European winter festival that is now associated with Christmas.
“The Native American names for the full moon in December — as reported in the Farmer’s Almanac — are the Cold Moon or the Long Night Moon.
“The Cold Moon gets its name because December is the month when it really starts to get cold, although our coldest average temperatures are in January.
“The Long Night Moon gets its name because the full moon in December occurs near the solstice, which has the longest night of the year.
“The full moon takes a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite to the low sun, so the moon will be above the horizon longer than at other times of the year.”
How to see the Full Cold Moon from the UK
For your best chance of seeing the Full Cold Moon from the UK, look to the skies shortly after sunset.
On Thursday, the sunset is scheduled for 15:51 GMT.
However, the full moon should be visible all evening, so there’s no excuse for you not to see it!
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