Full moon December 2027, the Cold MoonDecember 13-14

16:09 UTC♊︎ in Gemini · Last full moon of 2027, highest in northern skiesYour time: Monday, December 13, 16:09 UTC

368,131km away32.5′disc size+4.4%vs 2027 average12/12of the year

  1. First quarterDec 6 · 05:22
  2. Full moonDec 13 · 16:09
  3. Last quarterDec 20 · 09:11
  4. New moonDec 27 · 20:12

This moontime zonesmoonrise by citywhat you’ll seethe namemeaningFAQ

The Cold Moon is the last full moon of 2027 and the highest of the year in northern skies. It arrives just over a week before the December solstice, lighting the longest nights north of the equator. The Cold Moon is exactly full at 16:09 UTC on Monday, December 13, 2027, which is December 13 in the US, the UK and India and December 14 in Australia.

What time is the full moon in December 2027?

A full moon is one instant for the whole planet: the moment the Moon stands exactly opposite the Sun. The clock time depends on your time zone, and this month even the date does.

The Cold Moon of December 2027 in 12 time zones, daylight saving time included.
WhereLocal date and time
UTC (world reference)Mon, Dec 13 · 16:09 UTC
HawaiiMon, Dec 13 · 06:09 HST
Los Angeles, SeattleMon, Dec 13 · 08:09 PST
Denver, Salt Lake CityMon, Dec 13 · 09:09 MST
Chicago, WinnipegMon, Dec 13 · 10:09 CST
New York, TorontoMon, Dec 13 · 11:09 EST
London, DublinMon, Dec 13 · 16:09 GMT
LagosMon, Dec 13 · 17:09 WAT
Johannesburg, Cape TownMon, Dec 13 · 18:09 SAST
New Delhi, MumbaiMon, Dec 13 · 21:39 IST
Singapore, Manila, PerthTue, Dec 14 · 00:09 UTC+8
Sydney, MelbourneTue, Dec 14 · 03:09 AEDT
Auckland, WellingtonTue, Dec 14 · 05:09 NZDT

Your time zone (detected in your browser): Monday, December 13, 16:09 UTC. Highlighted dates fall on a different calendar day than in UTC.

When does the Cold Moon rise?

On the night of a full moon the Moon rises in the east around sunset and sets in the west around sunrise. The table shows the evening to watch in each city, in local time. In New Delhi it climbs to 88° above the horizon, in Auckland only 26°.

Moonrise, highest point and moonset for the Cold Moon, local time, with sunset for comparison.
CityEveningSunsetMoonriseHighestAltitudeMoonset
HonoluluMon, Dec 1317:5118:1101:1285°08:12
Los AngelesMon, Dec 1316:4416:5000:2782°08:01
DenverMon, Dec 1316:3516:3400:3176°08:25
ChicagoMon, Dec 1316:1916:1300:1974°08:21
New YorkMon, Dec 1316:2816:2100:2275°08:20
TorontoMon, Dec 1316:4016:3100:4572°08:54
LondonMon, Dec 1315:5115:1600:1465°09:07
LagosMon, Dec 1318:3318:3000:5970°07:28
JohannesburgMon, Dec 1318:5419:0000:1637°05:32
New DelhiMon, Dec 1317:2517:0000:2188°07:41
SingaporeMon, Dec 1319:0018:4201:0064°07:17
ManilaMon, Dec 1317:2817:0223:4878°06:34
SydneyMon, Dec 1320:0019:4800:4229°05:35
AucklandTue, Dec 1420:3521:2202:0726°06:54

In the sky

What you’ll see.

The Cold Moon becomes full on December 13 in the Americas, Europe, Africa and India, and on December 14 in Australia and New Zealand. With the sun at its lowest, the opposite full moon rides at its highest: in the north it rises in the northeast around sunset, climbs higher than any other full moon of 2027 and stays up nearly all night, bright over snow where there is any. Near the horizon it looks large and orange. At 368,131 km it is closer than average, missing the broadest supermoon definition by only about 50 km. The Geminids, often the richest meteor shower of the year, peak around December 14, so bright moonlight will drown out most of them.

How big and how bright?

The Cold Moon is 368,131 km from Earth. Its disc measures 32.5 arcminutes against a 2027 average of 31.1, which is 4.4% larger than average. The eye barely notices; a photo with the same lens does.

Distance and apparent size of every full moon in 2027.
Full moonDistanceDiscvs average
Wolf Moon357,635 km33.4′+7.5%
Snow Moon363,296 km32.9′+5.8%
Worm Moon372,518 km32.1′+3.2%
Pink Moon383,421 km31.1′+0.2%
Flower Moon393,893 km30.3′−2.4%
Strawberry Moon401,943 km29.7′−4.4%
Buck Moon405,968 km29.4′−5.4%
Sturgeon Moon405,069 km29.5′−5.1%
Harvest Moon399,341 km29.9′−3.8%
Hunter’s Moon389,926 km30.6′−1.4%
Beaver Moon378,754 km31.5′+1.5%
Cold Moon368,131 km32.5′+4.4%

The nights around it

  1. Fri, Dec 1088.9%
  2. Sat, Dec 1194.7%
  3. Sun, Dec 1298.5%
  4. Mon, Dec 13 (full)99.9%
  5. Tue, Dec 1498.6%
  6. Wed, Dec 1594.5%
  7. Thu, Dec 1688%

Illuminated share of the disc at the same UTC time each day.

The name

Why it’s called the Cold Moon.

Cold Moon comes from the traditional North American naming of the months, later popularized by farmers’ almanacs: December is when winter cold settles in for good. Long Night Moon points to the same season, since this full moon falls close to the solstice and the longest nights of the year. The old English name Moon Before Yule marks it as the full moon that comes before the midwinter festivities. All of these names describe the northern-hemisphere winter. In the southern hemisphere, December is the start of summer.

Other names: Long Night Moon, Moon Before Yule.

Southern hemisphere

In Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

In Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South America, December is early summer, and the Cold Moon hardly lives up to its name. It is the lowest full moon of 2027 for southern observers, rising in the northeast and staying fairly low in the northern sky over the shortest nights of the year. Shift the northern names by six months and it matches June’s Strawberry Moon, the low full moon of northern summer. With late sunsets, it makes for easy moonwatching on long summer evenings.

Astrology

Full moon in Gemini: what it means.

In astrology, this full moon falls in Gemini, opposite the sun in Sagittarius. Sagittarius is the sign of the big picture, beliefs, travel and searching for meaning, while Gemini stands for curiosity, conversation, messages and the details of everyday connection. Tradition reads a Gemini full moon at the end of the year as a moment to close loops through contact rather than conclusions. Which conversations are still waiting, which questions have you not asked, which thank-you was never sent? Astrologers often describe it as a light, social full moon that favors honest talk, good questions and reconnecting with people before the year ends.

Rituals

Three rituals for the Cold Moon.

  1. Send three messages Write the three messages you meant to send this year: a thank-you, a question and an apology or reconnection. Short is fine, as long as they are real.
  2. Hold a year-end conversation with yourself Answer three questions on paper: what was the real story of this year, what am I leaving behind, and what am I taking into 2028? Read your answers aloud to hear how they sound.
  3. Take a moonlit walk Go for an evening walk while the Cold Moon is up and leave the flashlight off once your eyes adjust. Notice how much you can see by moonlight alone.

Keep reading

From the blog.

blogFull moon meditation: a guided script and the best nights of 2027blogCharging crystals under the full moon, and which stones to keep dryblogRing around the moon: what the halo means and if rain is coming

Never miss one

Put every full moon of 2027 in your calendar.

One subscription for Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook. Each full moon appears at the right time in your own time zone, with its name and sign.

Add to calendar

FAQ

The December 2027 full moon, answered.

What time is the full moon in December 2027?

The Cold Moon is exactly full at 16:09 UTC on Monday, December 13, 2027. That is 11:09 EST in New York (December 13), 16:09 GMT in London (December 13), 21:39 IST in India (December 13) and 03:09 AEDT in Sydney (December 14).

Which night should I look at the Cold Moon?

The exact moment falls on December 13 in the US, the UK and India and December 14 in Australia, so the date depends on where you live. For viewing it hardly matters: the moon looks full to the eye on the evening before and the evening after, rising in the east around sunset.

Why is the December 2027 full moon called the Cold Moon?

Cold Moon is the traditional North American name for the December full moon, the month when winter cold settles in across the northern hemisphere. The Cold Moon of 2027 is also known as the Long Night Moon, because it falls just over a week before the December solstice. In the southern hemisphere the name does not fit, since December there is early summer.

Is the Cold Moon 2027 a supermoon?

Not quite. At about 368,131 km, the Cold Moon of 2027 is closer than average, but it misses even the broadest supermoon definition by about 50 km. It will look slightly larger and brighter than a typical full moon, though the difference is hard to notice by eye. The only full moon of 2027 that counts as a supermoon under every definition is the January Wolf Moon.

Can you see the Geminid meteor shower in 2027?

Only partly. The Geminids peak around December 14, 2027, right after the Cold Moon, so a nearly full, very bright moon lights the sky for most of the night. Fainter meteors will be lost in the glare, and only the brightest Geminids will stand out. For the best chance, face away from the moon and look at a dark part of the sky.