Why you should really pay attention to the moon on Christmas Eve

Even if we don’t get any snow this week, it will certainly be a white Christmas — because the moon will be a spectacularly brilliant sight.

For the first time in 38 years, there will be a full moon this Christmas; it will be reaching full peak at 6:11 a.m. EST, reports The Weather Channel. The last time this happened was back in 1977, and we won’t be seeing another full moon on Christmas until 2034 — after all, a full moon will coincide with any given day twice every 59 years.

Although the full moon will technically be on Christmas, the best time to view it for Americans will be on Christmas Eve; for those in the U.K., it’s the evening of Christmas Day.

December’s full moon, the last of the year, also has the nickname Full Long Night’s Moon or the Full Cold Moon due to the cold, long nights and its proximity to the winter solstice (when the moon appears to be lowest in the sky).

Make sure to round up the family after Christmas Eve dinner and check out the big, beautiful moon making its winter trek. Thanks for the awesome Christmas gift, Mother Nature.

(Image via Shutterstock)