Supermoon of December 2016 is also known as the Cold Moon or Long Nights Moon traditionally. The reason behind calling the Supermoon as Cold Moon is because it occurs after the winter season has commenced.

The reason it is called Long Nights Moon is because this event falls around an astronomical phenomenon called Winter Solstice, which falls on December 21, and marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. Christmas Moon and Snow Moon are some other names this Supermoon got.

What makes this last Supermoon of 2016 more amazing is that it will occur with another astronomical event, the Geminids meteor shower.

Geminid meteor shower
The sky at night seen at Killiecrankie Scotland during the Geminid meteor shower December 14, 2010.Reuters

Here are all the facts, timings and tips you need to know about Supermoon December 2016:

  • The moon is called 'Supermoon' when its proximity to the Earth is the highest.
  • On Tuesday, December 13, 2016, the moon will be 30 percent more radiant and 14 percent larger in size than usual, according to NASA.
  • You can enjoy the Supermoon online, on a webcast by Virtual Telescope Project from 16:00 GMT (11:00 EST) here on this link.
  • This year Supermoon was observed in October as well as November and its perigee was this close to our planet again after 1948.
  • The Supermoon can be observed on December 13 and 14 too, as it will attain its perigee at 19:05 EST (05:00GMT) on 14th.
  • This Supermoon is the last one of the year, which will be occurring along with Geminid meteor shower.
  • The brightness of the Supermoon is likely to overshadow the visibility of the meteor by 2 to 10-fold. You can anyways enjoy the Geminids meteor shower on the webcast. 
  • Sky gazers should not miss this event as it's happening for the last time this year and the next time we will have the opportunity to observe the Supermoon will be on November 25, 2034.
  • Darker locations, rural areas, regions free from or having lesser light and pollution are the best spots to sight the amazing view of the Supermoon.
  • If you are planning to go to a mountain for some amazing sky gazing, make sure you are well dressed and got insect repellents for extra care.
  • In case you are not lucky enough to find any rural or less urban areas around, the skyscrapers of your city will be brilliant spots to be at for a better view of the last Supermoon of this year.
  • You can check out these astronomical events on the links to the webcasts mentioned above.
Also Read