Cold Moon: Rare cosmic wonder to grace skies on Dec 15, once in 19 years — All to know about last full moon of 2024

Upcoming full moon of 2024 will take sky gazers by surprise as this time a unique astronomical phenomenon is set to grace the skies. This distinctive event happens once in almost 19 years, which is known as a “major lunar standstill.” The last full moon of this year will rise as far north — a phenomenon that happens every 18.6 years.

Cold Moon 2024

December's full moon is known by various names, including Long Nights Moon in Old English and the Moon before Yule in Anglo-Saxon. It is famously called ‘Cold moon’ or Oak Moon, which will peak around 2:31 PM IST (4:00 AM EST), according to time and date. Another cosmic happening will coincide with the cold moon, involving the Geminid meteor shower, which peaks from December 13-14.

Cold moon is the longest night of the year for the Northern Hemisphere, since this full moon happens closest to the winter solstice. On this day, the lunar body takes the highest path along the top of the sky, which makes its visibility longer than other full moons.

Mohawk tribe coined the term cold moon, who named it for the frigid conditions. Mohicans called it the "long night moon," as per Old Farmer's Almanac.

Cold Moon 2025

Next year, ‘cold moon’ will take place on December 5 at 4:44 PM. Notably, the time for the Cold Moon vary by time zone and the specific times and dates are based on the local time.

The Old English and Anglo-Saxon names of the December Full Moon are the Moon Before Yule and the Long Night Moon. Both names refer to the winter solstice, and the ancient celebration of Yule. Another Celtic name is the Oak Moon.

All to know about major lunar standstill

The moon rises and sets at its northernmost and southernmost positions on the horizon during a major lunar standstill. This phenomenon occurs every 18.6 years. The full moon will reach its most northerly point in the sky on December 15, the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles said.

According to Space.com, cold moon occurs because moon's “rising and setting positions on the horizon change constantly due to the movements of Earth and the moon,” implying that it doesn't follow the same path as the sun.