Cold Full Moon

DNR.WI.Gov

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow, gave a luster of midday to objects below.  When what to my wondering eyes did appear, but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer.

-- 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Clement Clarke Moore          

 

If you have clear skies this evening you won’t want to miss it - the last full moon of this year is tonight.  According to the Old Farmer's Almanac this is also known as a Cold Full Moon.  Native Americans know this as the Big Spirit Moon.  The ancient Celts called it a wolf moon.

 

Because this moon appears immediately following the winter solstice it is sometimes referred to as the Full Long Nights Moon.  If you live in the northern hemisphere - in December the full moon makes its highest arc across the sky.  This is because it is diametrically opposite to the sun which is at it's lowest arc.

 

Read more about this astronomical phenomenon here.