Moon

The closest full moon of 2026 arrives in December

The closest full moon of 2026 arrives on December 23 in the continental United States, Futura reports. According to Futura, the Cold Moon reaches full phase at 8:28 p.m. Eastern Time, when the moon is about 221,700 miles, or 356,740 kilometers, from Earth.

Futura places the Cold Moon in a run of four consecutive supermoons, beginning with November's Beaver Moon and ending with February's Snow Moon. According to Wikipedia, the term has no precise astronomical definition.

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The Cold Moon crosses calendar dates#

The full phase falls at 01:28 UTC on December 24, Futura reports, putting it on Christmas Eve in some international calendars. According to Futura, the same full phase falls on the evening of December 23 in the continental United States.

A full moon occurs when Earth is between the sun and the moon, leaving the side facing Earth fully sunlit, according to Wikipedia. Futura says the moon's elliptical orbit changes its distance from Earth throughout the month, bringing some full moons closer than others.

Most observers would struggle to see the modest size difference without comparing moons side by side, according to Futura. The outlet says the brighter lunar disk is more conspicuous in a dark winter sky.

The supermoon count varies by definition#

Futura says astronomers do not use supermoon as an official classification. The term originated in astrology and can describe either a full moon or a new moon near perigee, the point in its orbit closest to Earth, according to Wikipedia.

Futura counts four full moons in the sequence, but National Geographic puts November's at the start of a run of three. Yahoo also describes a four-month stretch and cites NASA for the estimate that supermoons account for roughly one quarter of full moons.

The Beaver Moon reaches full phase on November 24 at 9:54 a.m. Eastern Time, according to Futura. After December's Cold Moon, the outlet lists the Wolf Moon at 7:17 a.m. Eastern Time on January 22, 2027, and the Snow Moon at 6:24 p.m. Eastern Time on February 20, 2027.

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