What Is a Cold Moon? December 2022 Full Moon Meaning Explained

A full cold moon is due to rise on December 7, marking the last full moon of the year.

This full moon also coincides with two other rare astronomical events: the occultation of Mars and Mars's opposition. These phenomena are when Mars appears to pass behind the moon, and when Mars, the Earth and the Sun line up perfectly, respectively.

The full cold moon is the last full moon of the year, falling in the depths of the cold winter. Before we could easily track the time and date, ancient people would keep track of the passage of time using the cycle of the moon. Therefore, each full moon of the year had a name that was often related to the traits of that month or season.

Cold Moon was the Native American Mohawk name for December's full moon, but other tribes and other cultures across the world had a range of different names for it, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac.

The Mohican name for the full moon is the Long Night Moon, due to its proximity to the December 21 winter solstice, which is the day of the year with the shortest period of daylight and longest period of darkness. The Cree called this full moon the Drift Clearing Moon, Frost Exploding Trees Moon, and the Hoar Frost Moon, while the Haida and Cherokee people called it the Snow Moon.

Ancient European pagans also named this full moon, calling it the Moon Before Yule, while the New Zealand Māori called it Hakihea, which means "birds are now sitting in their nests." In New Zealand, situated in the Southern Hemisphere, December is mid-summer.

Most of these names refer to the cold, snowy weather of December, which across much of the mainland U.S. averages below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest states include Alaska, which is on average 2.6 degrees Fahrenheit throughout winter, as well as Minnesota at 12.4 degrees, North Dakota at 12.2 degrees and Wisconsin at 17.2 degrees.

Other full moon names throughout the year include January's Wolf Moon, March's Worm Moon (named for the worms emerging from the warming spring soil), June's Strawberry Moon, and perhaps most well-known, September and October's Harvest Moon.

The December 7 full Cold Moon has a high trajectory in the sky, which means that it will be visible above the horizon for a long time. This is ideal for stargazing, as well as for spotting the occultation of Mars occurring on the same night. The moon is due to rise at about 4:22 p.m. in Los Angeles.

The occultation will be visible throughout most of North America and Europe and will begin at roughly 6:30 p.m. local time in Los Angeles. The red planet will re-emerge from behind the Moon around an hour later, at 7:30 p.m. Those out of the viewing zone, such as those in the southern hemisphere, can also watch the occultation via live stream.

The next full moon, January's Wolf Moon, is due on January 6, 2023.

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