Rare, bright full moon on Christmas Day

The full moon is the last of the year and the first to occur on Christmas Day since 1977.

EarthSky report, “The December 25, 2015 full moon is the Western Hemisphere’s first full moon on Christmas Day since 1977”.

“As we look at the moon on such an occasion, it’s worth remembering that the moon is more than just a celestial neighbor”, said John Keller at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

The other cool thing about this full moon is that the moon will be far to the north. This is because the earth’s axis is tilted to its orbit around the sun.

On Christmas night 2016, the moon will be 252,158 miles from Earth at a phase of 16.2%.

Watch the moon come up – you will feel like it’s big.

The next full Christmas moon will appear in 2034, and that’s a long time to wait, so take advantage of the opportunity to admire it tonight, if the skies above your location are clear. “A 19-year cycle of the moon – called the Metonic Cycle – is the reason”.

A rare sight in the sky overhead this Christmas, and no, we’re not talking about Santa Claus.