Full moon tonight? 2024's last full moon is this weekend.
When to see December's Cold Moon, Geminid and Ursid meteor showers
From Jupiter dominating the night sky to shooting stars streaking across the starry winter sky, here are the top astronomy events for December 2024.
Skywatchers looking for the last full moon of 2024 can look to the sky this weekend for a glimpse of the "cold moon," which will hit peak brightness just after 4 a.m. EST on Sunday morning. But the moon will still look full Saturday evening through Monday.
Sunday's moon is also called a "frost moon" and "winter moon," a few of several terms for the last full moon of the year, NASA said.
If you miss it, the next full moon will peak on Jan. 13, 2025. That one is known as the "wolf moon" because wolves' howls are heard most in the winter, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
This weekend also features a major lunar standstill, which comes around every 18.6 years. That's when the moon rises and sets at its most northerly and southerly positions, according to Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.
You can tune in to Griffith's Observatory's live viewing of the standstill Sunday evening here starting at 8:03 p.m. EST.
(This story has been updated to correct a misspelling/typo.)