Sky watchers around the world recently witnessed a Full Beaver Supermoon, and astronomers are already eagerly anticipating the next one. The third and final supermoon, called the ‘cold moon’, will appear on Thursday, December 4 and reach its full phase at 3:44 am IST.
For those wondering, December marks the beginning of the coldest and darkest months, which is why the upcoming supermoon is being called the “Cold Moon.” Some other names given to the upcoming supermoon include Drifting Moon, Exploding Tree Moon, Popping Tree Moon, Frost Moon, Snow Moon, and Winter Making Moon. However, that doesn’t mean the upcoming supermoon will look any different than other supermoons we’ve seen before.
What is a supermoon?
A supermoon occurs when the full moon is at its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit. This phenomenon causes the moon to shine brighter and appear smaller than a normal full moon. Supermoons may not seem bigger if you live in a city full of lights, but you’ll definitely notice increased brightness in areas with very low light pollution.
How to see the cold moon?
The cold moon will rise in the northeastern sky and climb higher and higher as midnight approaches. It will form a triangle with the Pleiades star cluster and the bright star Aldebaran, which is part of the constellation Taurus.
To see the Cold Moon, make sure you go to an area with little or no city lights. The best time to see the Cold Moon is just before it appears on the horizon. Due to an optical illusion, the full moon will appear larger and have a warm orange hue. This is because the atmosphere of our planet filters the moonlight and leaves it with a warm hue.
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