The December full moon captivated skywatchers worldwide as it lit up the cold winter skies over the weekend.
A full moon occurs when the moon is on the opposite side of Earth from the sun. December’s moon officially reached full illumination at 4:02 a.m. EST (0902 GMT) on Dec. 15, but it will still appear relatively full for a few days around the peak.
Known as the Cold Moon, December’s full moon earned its name from the long, frigid nights of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Rising on Dec. 15, it appeared large and bright as it climbed above the horizon, offering a breathtaking sight for night sky watchers and photographers alike.
To celebrate this celestial spectacle, we’ve rounded up some of the most stunning full moon photos from around the world.
Photographer Rui Santos (Living Impressions)captured this stunning full moon photograph from Leiria, Portugal.
“I’ve been having a blast lately trying to photograph Earth’s atmosphere surrounding the moon as mystic landscapes,” Santos told Space.com in an email.
“This is as real as it gets. 3 Pictures with different exposures to capture the scene as is. In this session, I kept trying to figure out the best moment, and as the moon was getting out of those clouds in the lower side, its light started to sneak out the top layer and yellow light started to look like smoke through the thinner parts,” Santos continued.
Photographer Lokman Vural Elibol captured the full moon rising behind the Edge, at sunset in New York City.
Meanwhile, photographer Gary Hershorn captured the beautiful New York skyline alongside the December full moon.
Photographer Abdullah Guclu timed this shot perfectly to capture a passenger plane passing in front of the Cold Moon from Ankara, Turkey on Dec. 14.
Photographer Ismael Adnan Yaqoob captured this beautiful scene from Duhok, Iraq, as the full moon appears behind a rocky hilltop.
In Turkey, photographer Omer Urer snapped this moody photo of several birds perched on a tree in front of the full moon on Dec. 14.
Photographer J. David Ake was well positioned to photograph the final full moon of 2024 rising behind the Washington Monument, Washington DC, on Dec. 14.
In Spain, despite the cloudy skies, photographer Davide Pischettola managed to capture the full moon near Castel del Monte in Andria, Apulia, on Dec. 14.
The clouds descended over much of the UK this weekend, hindering most views of the last full moon of the year. This moody photo by David Tramontan captures the moon just peaking through the clouds at sunset from Ely, Cambridgeshire, U.K.
It appears Tramontan’s luck with the clouds changed as the photographer also managed to capture a stunning close-up view of our lunar companion.
Photographer Soumyabrata Roy captured the full moon peaking through some vegetation on Dec. 15 from Tehatta, India.
Meanwhile, photographer Anuwar Hazarika captured the Cold Moon rising above some vegetation from Morigaon District in Assam, India.
In Italy, the full moon was the star of the show in Rome. Photographer Filippo Monteforte snapped the Cold Moon shining brightly over the Trinita dei Monti church at Piazza di Spagna in Rome on Dec. 15.
Monteforte was also well-positioned to capture the full moon through a Christmas tree at Piazza di San Lorenzo in Lucina, Rome.
In Macedonia, photographer Robert Atanasovski captured this delightful photo of the full moon shining alongside winter decorations in Skopje.
Photographer Juan Barreto captured this stunning close up view of the Cold Moon from Caracas, Venezuela, on Dec. 15.
Photographer Tayfun Coskun took this stunning photo of the December full moon rising over San Francisco Bay, behind the San Mateo Bridge in Foster City, California, U.S.
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If all this full moon content has inspired you to take a more in-depth moonlit tour of our rocky companion our ultimate guide to observing the moon will help you plan your next skywatching venture whether it be exploring the lunar seas, mountainous terrain, or the many craters that blanket the landscape. You can also see where astronauts, rovers and landers have ventured with our Apollo landing sites observing guide.
If you’re looking for a telescope or binoculars to observe the moon, our guides for the best binoculars deals and the best telescope deals now can help. Our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography can also help you prepare to capture the next skywatching sight on your own.