What is the Cold supermoon and where can I see it?

The third supermoon of the year will be visible in the sky this week, providing yet another chance to see the moon looking bigger and brighter than usual.

Here, ITV News explains where you can see it and the meaning behind the Cold Moon name.

What is a supermoon?

A supermoon occurs when a full lunar phase syncs up with a particularly close orbit around Earth.

The proximity makes the moon appear bigger and brighter than usual.

A supermoon is usually visible three or four times a year due to the moon’s constantly shifting, oval-shaped orbit.

This year, we have had three consecutive supermoons, starting with the Harvest Moon in October. Following that, there was the Beaver Moon in November.

Where does the name Cold Moon come from?

All full moons are given names, which are often linked to the time of year they occur. The names were given by Native Americans in North America in a bid to track the seasons.

There are some variations in the list, depending on where you look, as different tribes and settlers around the world created their own. However, the most common is the Farmers’ Almanac list, which we have adopted in the UK.

The Cold Moon is the full moon closest to the Winter Solstice and so marks the start of the winter season.

When and where can you see the Cold Moon?

The Cold Moon will rise in the UK at sunset on Thursday, December 4 and be visible until moonset the following morning.

The next full moon – the Wolf Moon – will appear in the skies on Saturday, January 3 2026, and will be yet another supermoon.