This year’s cold moon falls on 15 December at 4.02am (Image: Getty)
If you missed November’s full moon, known as the then you will not to miss December’s, which is known as the cold moon.
November’s full moon is given the unusual nickname as beavers typically start building their dams for winter during the month.
The final Moon of 2024, called the cold moon, is forecast for December 15 at 4.02am.
recommend heading out of the city where you can avoid light pollution from buildings. The best time to see the moon is when it is at its highest, you can check the time using the
What is a cold moon?
The cold moon occurs once a year near the winter solstice, which is the longest night of the year. This year the cold moon – which will look like a full moon in the sky – falls on December 15.
It is called a cold moon because if fall in the coldest month. The cold moon has several other names too, including the Full Cold Moon or the Full Long Night’s Moon.
The term Long Night’s Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long, and because the moon is above the horizon for a long time.
“The midwinter full moon has a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low Sun.”
explained on its website: “Europeans call the December full moon the Moon before Yule.”
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It’s believed that the cold moon might disrupt people’s sleep. Dr Faye Begeti, known as @the_brain_doctor on , has shared tips on how to get a good night’s sleep during next week’s .
She said: “Forty per cent of us need at least a half an hour to wind down before we go to bed. Some people need two hours, but yet nearly 90 per cent of are using electronic devices when we should ideally be going screen free.”
Dr Begeti carried out some research on behalf of Holiday Inn Express and found that nearly a third of people claim the moon’s phases impact their sleep. Here are her tips:
- Allow extra sleep time in winter: “Studies of pre-industrial societies reveal that humans naturally sleep nearly an hour longer in winter than in summer. Since most of us don’t follow this pattern, it likely explains why we often feel more tired during the darker, colder days of the season.”
- Keeping your bedroom cool: “Turn your heating down at night, as your body needs a cool environment to fall into a deep, restorative sleep. However, avoid it being too cold, as this can also disrupt your sleep. Aim for a balanced, slightly cool temperature.”
- Build positive associations: “Consuming stressful content before bed releases cortisol, keeping us alert and making it harder to unwind,” adds Begeti.