Extract from ABC News
A cold moon is seen over Istanbul in 2022. (AP: File)
The final supermoon of the year will appear tonight and will cast some extremely bright light.
The cold moon will be the final in a trio of supermoons seen in 2025.
Here's how to spot it.
When will the cold moon appear?
The supermoon will appear on Friday, December 5.
The best time to see the cold moon in Australia will be shortly after the sun sets.
The time will depend on where you are.
The best time to view it in each state will be:
- Sydney – 8:35pm
- Melbourne – 9:16pm
- Brisbane – 7:07pm
- Perth – 7:57pm
- Canberra – 8:49pm
- Adelaide – 9:02pm
- Darwin – 7:31pm
- Hobart – 9:28pm
What is a supermoon?
A supermoon is when a full moon is closer to the Earth than usual.
This happens because the Moon doesn't orbit around the Earth in a perfect circle — it's more of an oval-shaped orbit.
And this means there are times in the Moon's orbit when it's closer to Earth — called a perigee — and when it's further away — called an apogee.
Why is it called the cold moon?
This moon is called the cold moon because in the northern hemisphere it marks the beginning of winter and is close to the winter solstice — the shortest day of the year.
It has also been known as the long night moon and the moon before Yule.
Each full moon has a name, which is a practice that dates back to ancient traditions long before the Gregorian calendar existed.
When is the next supermoon?
There will be a chance to see another supermoon in a month when the wolf moon appears on January 3.
There will be two more chances after that to see one in 2026.
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