- Space
Clear skies are forecast across large parts of the UK at the time the December full Moon peaks on Thursday
Anthony CuthbertsonWednesday 03 December 2025 10:49 GMTComments
open image in galleryIndia Supermoon (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
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The final supermoon of the year will also reach higher in the sky than any other full Moon of the year, reaching its peak on Thursday evening.
December’s full Moon, known as the Cold Moon, is the third of four consecutive supermoons, making it appear bigger and brighter.
The Moon’s orbit around the Earth isn’t a perfect circle so it gets nearer and farther as it swings around.
When a full Moon is closer to Earth in its orbit, a so-called supermoon happens. It makes the Moon look up to 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than the faintest Moon of the year, according to Nasa.
“A supermoon occurs when a full Moon coincides with the Moon’s closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit, a point known as perigee,” the US space agency noted in a blog post.
“During every 27-day orbit around Earth, the Moon reaches both its perigee, about 226,000 miles (363,300 km) from Earth, and its farthest point, or apogee, about 251,000 miles (405,500 km) from Earth.”
open image in galleryThe Beaver Moon rises next to the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, 5 November, 2025 (AP Photo/Michael Probst)Supermoons happen a few times a year in clusters, taking advantage of the sweet spot in the moon's elliptical orbit.
The supermoon can be glimpsed in clear night skies without any special equipment. But it can be tough to discern the subtle change with the naked eye.
The latest forecast from the Met Office suggests there will be relatively good visibility for people in England, with clear skies across most of the country at the time the full Moon peaks at 11:14pm (GMT).
open image in galleryThe Met Office weather forecast for 11pm on 4 December, 2025 (Met Office)Whether a supermoon or not, the Moon also appears bigger when it's close to the horizon because of what's called the Moon Illusion. It's a strange visual trick that experts can't yet explain.
"When you have a supermoon, that effect is just slightly more striking,” said astronomer William Alston with the University of Hertfordshire.
Tides could be slightly higher during a supermoon because the Moon is closer to Earth, but again, the difference isn’t very noticeable.
There will be another supermoon – the last in this series – on 3 January. The next supermoon after that will not be until 24 November, 2026.
Additional reporting from agencies.
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