Full moon on Christmas Day last dawned in 1977; will happen again in 2034

A rare full moon on Christmas Day, called the “Full Cold Moon” because it occurs at the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere, will be seen in Cebu.

Rome Aguirre, weather specialist for Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), said the moon is expected to rise at 5:26 p.m. and set at 5:25 a.m. on December 26.

“There is a bigger chance that we can see the full moon anywhere in Cebu because of the weather,” Aguirre said.

The weather bureau said Christmas Day will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms in Metro Cebu, with temperature ranging from 24 to 32 degrees Celsius.

The last cold moon was seen in 1977, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said on its website.

It will occur again only in 2034.

“That’s a long time to wait, so make sure to look up to the skies on Christmas Day,” NASA said on its website.

The full moon, which is the 13th this year, occurs when it is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun. The next full moon is expected on January 24, 2016.

As of yesterday, Aguirre said no major weather disturbance has been detected after tropical depression Onyok.

As of 5 p.m. yesterday, the weather bureau said Visayas and Mindanao will have cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms. Coastal waters will be moderate to strong.