The year of 2020 may have been harsh on all of us, but it was a delight for some beautiful celestial events. Other than the meteor showers and eclipses, a lot of planets were beautifully making their presence felt in the night sky. The month of November in fact, saw 7 planets in the night sky. The month of December also saw beautiful activities like eclipse and the Christmas star among other celestial events. And now we come to the last lunar phase of the full moon coming up in three days. The last full moon of 2020 in the month of December called as the Cold Moon will take place on December 29. Ahead of Cold Moon 2020, let us know more about the timings and why it is called so.

Cold Moon 2020 Date and Timings

Cold Moon will take place on December 29, Tuesday. The moon will be at its peak at 10:30 P.M. EST. For those in India, it will be on December 30 and the best time in IST is 08:58 AM. However, to watch the moon at its glory, you can look up the sky on these two nights and enjoy the last full moon of this year. Jupiter-Saturn Winter Solstice Great Conjunction 2020 Photos: Netizens Share Beautiful Pictures of Rare Christmas Star Gracing The Night Sky!

Why Cold Moon?

By now, you would probably know that all full moons of the month get their names based on Native American tribes and their understanding of seasonal change. The month of December sees cold weathers in most regions, the conditions would be much frigid in the olden days. So it is called as the Cold Moon.

Other Names For December Full Moon

Each moon has more than one names to describe it. Similarly, other than Cold Moon, the full moon of December is also called as Long Night’s Moon. This is because, after winter solstice, the nights are long. Also this moon is above the horizon for a long time. It has a high trajectory across the sky, which is what makes this moon special. Another reference for this lunar phase is Moon before Yule.

If you are a lover of the moon and can stare at it for hours together, then do not miss out on the last one of the year. Although irrespective of the year change, the full moon phases will continue.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 26, 2020 05:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).