December Full Moon 2020: Cold Moon is the last celestial event for sky-watchers this year
Cold Moon 2020: The year 2020 has been phenomenal for sky-watchers and all who are enthusiastic about astronomical events. The year winds up with the Full Cold Moon today, the last of the 13 Full Moons this year. The Cold Moon in December comes after a series of celestial events in the month including the ‘Great Conjunction’ of Jupiter and Saturn on December 21 and the Geminids meteor shower. We also saw the rare Halloween Blue Moon on October 31, after 19 years. According to the space.com, “This particular Cold Moon will rise accompanied by Mars, which will be high in the southern skies just after sunset, as well as Jupiter and Saturn…”
One can easily spot Mars due to its reddish colour and Venus remains the ‘Evening Star’. Jupiter and Saturn are still close but they are coming out of the ‘Great Con’junction’ phase.
How does the Cold Moon get its name?
Historically all the Full Moons have names linked to the season or particular events. The ‘Old farmers Almanac’ says, the Cold Moon gets its name as this is time “when the winter cold fastens its grip and the nights become long and dark.” There are other names of the Full Cold Moon. The Mohicans called it the Long Night Moon as it “rose during the longest nights of the year” around the winter solstice. The December Cold Moon also shines for a longer time above the horizon than most Full Moons. The ancient pagans referred to the December Full Moon as the “Moon Before Yule,” as the Yuletide celebrations were around this time of the year.
