Cold Moon bigger and brighter for winter evening stargazers

Skygazers will be treated to a bigger and brighter moon this weekend as it moves closer to Earth.

December’s full moon – traditionally known as the Cold Moon – will appear 14% bigger and 30% brighter than usual on Sunday.

Tom Kerss, an astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich, said the exact moment of full moon – when the moon sits opposite the sun in the sky – will be 3.47pm on Sunday, with moonrise about 45 minutes later.

He added: “This year’s Cold Moon is closer to us than the average full moon this year; close enough to qualify as a supermoon, according to the widely accepted definition.

“The moon will reach its highest point above the horizon at midnight local time. This is when, weather permitting, it will appear at its clearest and brightest.”

The moon has a slightly elliptical orbit – it does not move round the Earth in a perfect circle.

At some points it is about 5% closer to Earth than average, known as perigee, and at others it is 5% further away, known as apogee.

The full moon will be 222,761 miles from Earth, closer than its average 238,900 miles.

Mr Kerss said: “During moonrise and moonset, you might think the moon looks unusually large, but this is an illusion created in the mind when it appears close to the horizon.

For those wanting to see the Earth’s natural satellite in greater detail, he advises using binoculars or a telescope and observing the dark maria – large, dark basaltic plains on the surface of the moon.

He said: “It’s perfectly safe to look directly at the full moon, even with a telescope or binoculars.”

The moon will reach its highest point above the horizon at midnight local time