Full Moon Date December 2024: How to see the Cold Moon and how it got its name

The last full moon of 2024 is nearly upon us. | Canva/Getty Images

If you want to see the final full moon of the year, we have all the information you need.

It's a sight that has inspired myths, superstitions and awe through the centuries - when the night sky is lit up by the seemingly-perfect glowing sphere of a full moon.

We experience one full moon every month, with each given a different evocative name.

Here's how to see the final one of 2024 - the Cold Moon.

What is a full moon?

A full moon is when the moon appears as a complete circle in the sky. The moon produces no light of its own, so this only happens when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth to the Sun - meaning the whole of the near side of the moon is fully lit up.

When is the Cold Moon in 2024?

The next full moon, or ‘Cold Moon’, will reach its peak on Sunday, December 15, at 3.14pm.This time only applies to the UK, however, as when the full moon rises and sets depends on where you are on the planet. Even if it’s cloudy - or still quite light - when it peaks you'll still be able to see it for much of the night, when it will be almost imperceptibly less full.

Why is it called the Cold Moon?

Like many of the names we give to the full moons, the Cold Moon has its origins on the the other side of the Atlantic, being used by Native Americans. The originators of the name are apparently the Mohawke tribe, who saw the moon herald the start of the coldest part of the winter, when times were at their toughest.

Why do full moons have different names?

Full moon names are often attributed to Native American tribes that would give full moons nicknames to keep track of them as they didn’t record time using months found in the Julian or Gregorian calendar. Most of the names were linked to a specific event, for example this wolf moon is associated with the presence of howling wolves nearby their camps at this time.

Other moons like the blood moon were thought to be caused by Jaguars who attacked the moon and left it bleeding hence the red colour. These lunar systems and their names differed between tribes but it seems Colonial Americans adopted some of these names and incorporated them into their own calendar systems - their use then spread to other countries, including the United Kingdom.

What are all the monthly full moons called?

Here’s a full list of the full moon names, and their corresponding months.

January: Wolf Moon
February: Snow Moon
March: Worm Moon
April: Pink Moon
May: Flower Moon
June: Strawberry Moon
July: Buck Moon
August: Sturgeon Moon
September: Harvest Moon
October: Hunter's Moon
November: Beaver Moon
December: Cold Moon

The first full moon of 2025, known as the Wolf Moon, with be on Wednesday, January 14.