Full moon

Not only will the "Cold Moon" reach peak illumination around 10:09 p.m. CST on Wednesday - but it's also expected to fully eclipse the planet Mars!

The lunar occultation will be visible in North America, except along the east coast, gulf coast, Appalachia region and western Alaska. In those regions, Mars ...

According to The Almanac, the Cree people have called December’s full moon the “Drift Clearing Moon,” “Exploding Trees Moon” and “Hoar Frost Moon,” all in reference to the cold and snow. Ancient pagans called December’s full moon the “Moon Before Yule” referring to the Yuletide festival celebrating the winter solstice. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the astronomical event will occur a few hours after sunset.

Tonight's full moon is coming into visibility and lighting up LA skies on the evening of Wednesday, December 7th. Simultaneously, a lunar occultation of.

The entire celestial spectacle might be difficult to witness with the naked eye due to the brightness of the full Moon. This means Mars and the sun will be directly on opposite sides of Earth. In this case, the moon will move in front of Mars, temporarily hiding the red planet from view. However, as the moon continues along the ecliptic and Mars reappears, the planet will look brighter than normal. Be sure to look to the skies at 6:30 P.M. An occultation occurs when one object is hidden by another object that’s passing between it and the observer.

It's going to be a busy night for stargazers. That is if you can see the sky. Wednesday night's full moon is the last full moon of 2023. Also, the full moon will appear to eclipse Mars in an event called a lunar occultation.

The full moon will set around sunrise Thursday. The best viewing conditions for these celestial treats will be over the northern Great Plains, the Florida Peninsula, and Southern California. As long as weather conditions permit, this celestial event will be visible for most of the U.S., with the exception of the southern and eastern states. The full moon will rise around sunset and reach peak illumination at 11:09 p.m. Wednesday night's full moon is the last full moon of 2023. First, the full moon will appear just after sunset.