12/05/2025
Heads up skywatchers. Today December 04 is the night the sky decides to show off. 🌕
The Cold Moon rises tonight as the final supermoon of 2025 and it arrives during one of the most dramatic stretches of the entire year. A supermoon happens when the moon is full and close to perigee which is the point in its orbit where it swings toward Earth. That closeness makes it appear about 8 percent larger and about 15 to 16 percent brighter than the average full moon. It is a subtle change on paper but a powerful one to the eye. When a winter supermoon climbs low along the horizon it looks huge golden and almost unreal. Tonight you will see that effect for yourself.
This supermoon does not come alone. It arrives at the exact moment the Geminid meteor shower begins. The Geminids are one of the most intense meteor showers on Earth known for bright colorful streaks that cut across the sky like sparks from a cosmic fire. Starting tonight and continuing through December 17 meteors will appear every few minutes. On the peak nights of December 13 and 14 you can see more than one hundred meteors every hour if your skies are dark and clear. The combination of a bright low supermoon and a meteor shower creates a rare December atmosphere that feels both calm and electric at the same time.
All of this is happening while the nights keep growing longer as we move toward the winter solstice on December 21. These are some of the deepest quietest nights of the year. Nights made for looking up. Nights where the cold air carries light farther and the sky feels larger than usual. It is the perfect setting for a supermoon that wants your attention and a meteor shower that refuses to be ignored.
So if the clouds open for even a moment tonight step outside. Look up. Let the sky remind you how big this world still is. Take a photo if you can. Make a memory even if it is just a few quiet minutes on your own in the cold. This is the last supermoon of the year and it is giving you everything at once.
References:
Time and Date
Almanac
Royal Museums Greenwich
ScienceAlert