A bright “Cold Supermoon” will rise tonight, offering the last and most dramatic full Moon of 2025 and one that is worth planning an evening around.
The Moon will appear slightly larger and noticeably brighter than a typical full moon, and will look especially striking just after sunset when it looms low over the eastern horizon.
A supermoon occurs when a full Moon comes close to the perigee, the point where the Moon’s elliptical orbit brings it nearest to Earth. In this case, the Moon is about 3,57,000 km away, roughly 10 to 14 per cent closer than average, making it appear subtly bigger and up to around 30 per cent brighter than the faintest full moon of the year.
The “Cold Moon” name comes from traditional Northern Hemisphere folklore for December’s long, chilly nights.
The Moon will rise in the east around sunset and remain visible all night, reaching its highest point near midnight before setting in the west near dawn. It will look essentially full for several nights, but tonight’s moonrise gives the most dramatic view thanks to the “Moon illusion”, which makes it seem extra large when framed by buildings or trees.
You do not need a telescope; a clear eastern horizon and patience for your eyes to adapt to the dark are enough, though binoculars will reveal craters and maria in sharp detail.
Supermoons come in clusters because the dates of perigee and full Moon drift relative to each other over the year.
In 2025, the orbital geometry lined up so that three consecutive full Moons occurred within the distance threshold astronomers use for a supermoon, producing a trio of oversized moons culminating in tonight’s Cold Supermoon.
Such runs of three or four supermoons are not extremely rare, but having them close out a year alongside major meteor showers like the Geminids makes 2025’s finale especially unmissable.
Yes, the supermoon will be visible in almost every part of the country, depending on the weather conditions and cloud cover in the region.
Source: India Today