Cold Moon 2026: Meaning and Dates

Origin of the name

The December full moon, when winter cold takes hold and nights are longest.

The Long Night Moon, for the night nearest the winter solstice, and the Moon before Yule are older names. It is the highest-riding full moon of the year in the northern hemisphere, opposite the low December sun.

Viewing tips

With the moon up for around 15 hours at mid-northern latitudes, this is the best full moon for all-night moonlight.

Lore and folklore

December's moon comes with the deepest cold and the longest nights, hence the Cold Moon and Long Night Moon. In Anglo-Saxon tradition it was the Moon before Yule, and its light on snow made the long nights unusually bright.

Trivia

• The Cold Moon rides highest of all full moons in the northern hemisphere, opposite the low solstice Sun.
• Around the December solstice the full moon is above the horizon for more than 15 hours at 50 degrees north.
• The Cold Moon is usually the last full moon of the year, but some years a thirteenth follows it as a Blue Moon.