The night sky over North America put on a dazzling show this December, as the final supermoon of 2025—known as the Cold Moon—rose high, bathing cities and landscapes in an ethereal glow. From Palm Springs, California, to Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, and across the Borderland in Texas, skywatchers and photographers alike marveled at the spectacle, which coincided with the start of the much-anticipated Geminid meteor shower.
According to The Desert Sun, the Cold Moon supermoon was visible over Palm Springs on December 4 and 5, 2025. Photos captured by Jay Calderon show the moon setting over the Little San Bernardino Mountains and looming large over wind turbines near Whitewater, California. The moon’s silvery light painted the desert landscape, creating a striking contrast with the early morning hues and the silhouettes of turbines and mountains. For those lucky enough to be up before dawn, the supermoon could also be seen over Interstate 10, just before sunrise—a rare treat that drew many to gaze skyward.
But what exactly is a supermoon, and why did this one seem so special? As USA Today and NASA explain, a supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to Earth, a point in its elliptical orbit called perigee. This makes the moon appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than the faintest full moon of the year. The December 2025 Cold Moon peaked at 6:14 p.m. Eastern Time (3:14 p.m. Pacific) on Thursday, December 4, but its brilliance lingered, with the moon still looking full to the naked eye on Friday, December 5. As EarthSky notes, “The moon appears full to the eye for two to three nights,” even though astronomers define the full moon as a precise instant when the moon is exactly opposite the sun in the sky.
This Cold Moon was the last of three consecutive supermoons in 2025, following October’s Hunter’s Moon and November’s Beaver Moon. According to NASA, supermoons typically occur in clusters, three or four times a year, and always consecutively. The next chance to catch a supermoon will be the Wolf Moon, set to peak on January 3, 2026. For those who missed December’s show, January’s Wolf Moon will rise as the fourth consecutive supermoon, capping off a rare run of lunar spectacles.
The Cold Moon isn’t just an astronomical term—it’s steeped in cultural tradition. As reported by Live Science and the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the name “Cold Moon” comes from the Mohawk tribe, evoking the frigid conditions of December. Other Native American names reflect the season’s harshness, such as the Frost Exploding Trees Moon (Cree), Moon of the Popping Trees (Oglala), and the Winter Maker Moon (Western Abenaki). The Mohican called it the Long Night Moon, a nod to December’s lengthy nights as the winter solstice approaches. European and colonial traditions also dubbed it the Moon Before Yule or the Long Night Moon.
December’s Cold Moon had astronomical significance beyond its beauty. As Live Science points out, it climbs higher in the sky than any other full moon of the year. This is because, near the winter solstice, the sun traces its lowest path across the sky during the day, while the full moon—opposite the sun—rises to its highest point at night. The 2025 winter solstice will occur on December 21 at 10:03 a.m. Eastern Time, marking the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
For many, the moon seemed especially large as it rose near the horizon—a phenomenon known as the moon illusion. As The Express quoted astronomer William Alston of the University of Hertfordshire, “When you have a supermoon, that effect is just slightly more striking.” The illusion, still not fully understood, makes the moon appear bigger when it’s low in the sky, adding to the drama of the supermoon experience.
The Cold Moon’s proximity to Earth—just 221,965 miles away, according to the Almanac—wasn’t the only celestial event of the night. As reported by USA Today and Live Science, the full moon coincided with the start of the Geminid meteor shower, one of the strongest and most reliable meteor showers of the year. The Geminids, which run from December 4 to 17 and peak on the night of December 13-14, are known for producing bright, colorful meteors at a steady rate. Under ideal dark skies, skywatchers might see up to 120 meteors per hour, streaking from the constellation Gemini—right where the Cold Moon was rising.
Supermoons can also have subtle effects on Earth. As NASA notes, tides may be slightly higher during a supermoon due to the moon’s increased gravitational pull, though the difference isn’t usually dramatic enough to notice without precise measurements.
Residents across the country were quick to share their awe. In Texas, as KTSM reported, Borderland locals snapped photos of the moon as it dominated the evening sky. In Pennsylvania, The Express described how Thursday night’s sky provided a clear view of the final supermoon of 2025, casting a bluish hue over Lock Haven. The event required no special equipment—just clear skies and a willingness to look up. As astronomers and enthusiasts alike remarked, the subtle differences between a regular full moon and a supermoon can be hard to detect, but the sense of wonder remains undiminished.
For those keeping track of lunar phases, December’s full moon was followed by the last quarter on December 11, the new moon on December 19 or 20 (depending on your time zone), and the first quarter on December 27. The next full moon—the Wolf Moon—will rise on January 3, 2026, at 5:03 a.m. Eastern Time, and will be the first of 13 full moons in the new year, thanks to a Blue Moon in May.
Looking ahead, NASA forecasts two lunar eclipses in March 2026 and a partial lunar eclipse in August 2026, promising more opportunities for skywatchers to marvel at the moon’s changing face. For now, though, the memory of December’s luminous Cold Moon lingers—a reminder of the rhythms of our night sky and the timeless allure of looking up.
