December Full Moon 2020: Cold Moon is the last celestial event for sky-watchers this year
Cold Moon 2020: The year 2020 has been phenomenal for sky-watchers and all who are enthusiastic about astronomical events. The year winds up with the Full Cold Moon today, the last of the 13 Full Moons this year. The Cold Moon in December comes after a series of celestial events in the month including the 'Great Conjunction' of Jupiter and Saturn on December 21 and the Geminids meteor shower. We also saw the rare Halloween Blue Moon on October 31, after 19 years. According to the space.com, "This particular Cold Moon will rise accompanied by Mars, which will be high in the southern skies just after sunset, as well as Jupiter and Saturn..."
One can easily spot Mars due to its reddish colour and Venus remains the 'Evening Star'. Jupiter and Saturn are still close but they are coming out of the 'Great Con'junction' phase.
How does the Cold Moon get its name?
Historically all the Full Moons have names linked to the season or particular events. The 'Old farmers Almanac' says, the Cold Moon gets its name as this is time "when the winter cold fastens its grip and the nights become long and dark." There are other names of the Full Cold Moon. The Mohicans called it the Long Night Moon as it "rose during the longest nights of the year" around the winter solstice. The December Cold Moon also shines for a longer time above the horizon than most Full Moons. The ancient pagans referred to the December Full Moon as the "Moon Before Yule," as the Yuletide celebrations were around this time of the year.
Cold Moon 2020: The last celestial event of this year
Celestial events to watch out for in 2021
- January 2: Earth's Perihelion - The Earth will reach point on its orbit closest to the Sun.
- January 3-4: Quadrantids meteor shower - This is the first major meteor shower of 2021.
- March 20: March Equinox - This is the first day of the spring season in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the start of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.
- May 26: Total Lunar Eclipse - This total lunar eclipse will be visible from Australia, parts of the western United States, western South America, and South-East Asia.
- June 10: Annular Solar Eclipse - It will be visible in northern Canada, parts of Greenland, and northeastern parts of Russia.
- June 21: June Solstice - People in the Northern Hemisphere will see the the longest day of the year.
- Aug 12-13: Perseid Meteors - This meteor shower is known to be one the most active and brightest meteor showers of the year.
- November 19: Partial Lunar Eclipse - It will be visible from North and South America, Australia, and parts of Europe and Asia.
- December 4: Total Solar Eclipse - It will be best visible from Antarctica. Parts of southern Africa and Namibia will also be able to see the partial solar eclipse.
(Source: Timeanddate.com)