Final full Moon of 2025: When to see Cold Supermoon at its peak
The Cold Supermoon will peak on the morning of Dec. 4, so for North Americans, the best time to view the Moon at its fullest will be Friday evening at sunset.
Visualization of the Moon's phases in 2025
NASA visualization shows the Moon's phases in 2025 (NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center)
Bundle up, the Cold Supermoon will soar into the sky this week as the final full moon of 2025.
The Cold Supermoon will peak on the morning of Dec. 4, so for North Americans, the best time to view the moon at its fullest will be Friday evening at sunset.
FILE: The cold moon rises at sunset behind Monte Prena Mountain in Gran Sasso National Park in Italy, on December 19, 2021. The cold moon is the last full moon of the year. (Photo by Lorenzo Di Cola/NurPhoto via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
The best way to spectate the final full moon of the year is by finding a location with a clear eastern view to watch as it ascends into the sky Friday evening.
The Cold Moon earned its nickname due to the arrival of cold winter weather in the Northern Hemisphere.
A Supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with the Moon's closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit, known as perigee.
This is a NASA image comparing the relative size of the supermoon to the micromoon. NASA says it is about the difference between a quarter and a nickel. (NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio / NASA)
According to NASA, the moon will be just 221,813 miles away from Earth when full on the first Thursday of the month.
WHAT ARE THE PHASES OF THE MOON?
December marks the third consecutive month in a row that a Supermoon has risen in the sky in the first week, a common occurrence as Supermoons occur in succession.
The last of three Supermoons to wrap up the year, the recurring phenomenon is notable because the Moon appears bigger and brighter than the average full moon due to its proximity to Earth.
FILE: The full Harvest Supermoon rises behind the Statue of Liberty in New York City on October 7, 2025, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. The October Moon was the first of three successive Supermoons to conclude 2025. (Photo by Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images) (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu / Getty Images)
And don't be upset if you miss Friday's Supermoon; make a resolution to see it in 2026.
The fourth and final consecutive Supermoon will kick off the year and rise in the sky in early January.