The final “supermoon” of 2025 will take to the skies later this week, though Chicago-area residents will have to brave the cold to see it.
The “Cold Supermoon” will rise in the skies Thursday night, and is the third consecutive supermoon that North America has seen this year.
Here’s everything you need to know.
What is a “supermoon”?
According to NASA, a “supermoon” occurs when the full moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to the Earth in its orbit, known as its perigee.
Since the moon’s orbit is elliptical, it reaches its perigee and its apogee each time it revolves around the planet, and the “supermoon” coincides with that perigee on multiple occasions in a row.
While the term “supermoon” isn’t an official term according to NASA, it’s typically used to describe a full moon that comes within 90% of its perigee from Earth.
What is this month’s full moon called?
According to the Royal Museums Greenwich, the December full moon is known as the “Cold Moon,” so-named because of the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
According to the museum, the December full moon is also known as the long night moon, so-named because the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere occurs in December, and the oak moon.
Just how close will the full moon be to Earth?
According to NASA, a supermoon can appear up to 30% brighter and up to 14% bigger than the smallest full moon of the year, making it more noticeable on Earth.
According to EarthSky, the full moon will be approximately 221,965 miles from Earth, its second-closest approach of the year.
When will the moon officially be “full”?
The official full moon Thursday will occur at 5:14 p.m. Central time, meaning that Chicago-area residents will get a great view as it continues to rise in the sky, according to NASA.
When is the next supermoon?
There will be one more supermoon in this cycle, but it won’t occur until 2026, as the next full moon will take place on Saturday, January 3.
After that, another supermoon won’t occur until late November.
