Why it's called the Cold Moon
December's full moon is the Cold Moon — the plainest name in the calendar, for the month the cold settles in to stay. Its beautiful alternative, the Long Night Moon, describes the same fact from the sky's side: it shines through the longest nights of the year.
The Cold Moon in the sky
The Cold Moon is the Wolf Moon's twin: riding at or near the year's highest arc, above the solstice's lowest sun, it stays up longer than any other full moon — up to 15–16 hours of moonlight at northern latitudes.
What the Cold Moon means
Closing the year, the Cold Moon carries completion and rest. In moon practice it's the reflection moon: the cycle's honest ending, reviewed by the year's longest light, before the Wolf Moon opens the next.
When is the next Cold Moon?
24 December 2026 at 01:29 UTC.
Why is it called the Cold Moon?
Simply for December’s settled cold. The alternative name, Long Night Moon, marks that it shines through the longest nights of the year.
Why is the Cold Moon up so long?
It sits opposite the solstice sun: the lower and shorter the sun’s path, the higher and longer the full moon’s — up to 15–16 hours above the horizon in northern latitudes.