Full Cold Supermoon Tonight (Dec. 3, 2017)
Dec 3, 2017 12:31:52 GMT -5
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Post by Joanna on Dec 3, 2017 12:31:52 GMT -5
Full Cold Supermoon Tonight
In the early evening hours of December 3, the Full Cold Moon – the first, last and only Supermoon of 2017 – rises. This moon is expected to appear 8% wider and 16% brighter than an ordinary full moon. The moon reached it’s full phase at 10:47 a.m. (EST) today and reaches perigee – the point at which it is closest to Earth – at 3:45 a.m., Monday, December 4.
While December’s Supermoon is the only one in 2017, it’s the first of three Supermoons in succession. The next two are in January (2018) – which brings two full Moons! Yes, that second moon in a single month is popularly considered a “Blue Moon.”
In American Indian cultures, which tracked the calendar by the moons, December’s full moon was known as the Full Cold Moon. It is fittingly associated with the month when the winter cold fastens its grip and the nights become long and dark. It was also called the Long Nights Moon by some tribes because it occurs near the winter solstice – the day with the least amount of daylight.
Moonrise this evening is as follows:
Jonesport, Maine - 5:22 p.m.
Frankfort, Kentucky - 5:50 p.m.
Key West, Florida - 6:03 p.m.
Miles City, Montana - 4:54 p.m.
Bakersfield, California - 5:18 p.m.
Sources: The Old Farmars Almanac and Time and Date.
