A cold moon will rise over Illinois after Christmas. Here’s when you can see it

The final full moon of the year is set to rise over Illinois Tuesday night, but cloudy conditions and rain may hamper the view from Belleville.

December’s full moon — known as the “cold moon” — will rise the night of Dec. 26 this year. According to global online clock Time and Date, the sun will set at 4:45 p.m. that evening, but the moon will rise around 4:16 p.m. Central Standard Time.

After the winter solstice, which took place Thursday, the days start getting longer once more, so Illinois residents can expect a marginally shorter night to observe the moon Tuesday.

Why is December’s moon called the cold moon?

This month’s full moon will be illuminated Tuesday night, and the proximity to the winter solstice means the moon is along its highest path in the sky, the Farmers’ Almanac notes.

The name cold moon comes from the Mohawk language, the Farmers’ Almanac says, referring to a full moon in a month often bringing frigid temperatures. Many moon names come from Indigenous cultures, and other names for December’s full moon include the Long Night Moon, Frost Exploding Trees Moon and the Winter Maker Moon, among others.

To Illinois residents, the cold moon should appear full Christmas night and Wednesday, Dec. 27, as well, according to the almanac. In 2022, the cold moon rose Dec. 7.

Weather forecast for Belleville, Illinois

While forecasters don’t anticipate a white Christmas, Belleville residents should expect plenty of precipitation over the weekend and into next week.

The National Weather Service forecast as of Friday afternoon shows a 30% chance of rain Saturday night. While the skies are expected to clear up Sunday morning for Christmas Eve, rain is set to return after noon with a 90% chance of rain that night. The strong chance of rain will continue into Christmas Day with Monday’s high near 57 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tuesday night, when the cold moon will rise, there’s a 30% chance of rain in the evening, the NWS says, with cloudy conditions and a low around 35 degrees.

How to see December’s full cold moon

While you can use a telescope or binoculars for a better view, most should be able to easily see the cold moon with the naked eye so long as cloud cover doesn’t hamper the view.

NASA recommends you visit a remote location or move away from sources of light pollution and allow your eyes time to adjust to better view the moon.

In addition to the full moon, astronomy site Space.com notes three other planets should be visible Tuesday night with the naked eye: Jupiter, Venus and Saturn.