Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Christmas Day full moon to appear in the UK sky for the first time in 38 years

There won't be another full moon on Christmas Day until 2034

Doug Bolton
Thursday 24 December 2015 20:10 GMT
Comments
The full moon rises over Lausanne, France, in September 2015
The full moon rises over Lausanne, France, in September 2015 (FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A full moon is set to appear in the Christmas sky tomorrow, for the first time in 38 years.

The full moon is the last of the year, and is the first to occur on Christmas Day since 1977 - and there won't be another until 2034, so it's worth braving the cold to go out and see this rare spectacle.

According to Nasa, the full mooon is set to peak in brightness and visibility at the auspicious time of 11:11pm on 25 December, but it will naturally be bright in the sky throughout the day.

Unfortunately, it's set to be pretty cloudy over the whole of the UK on Christmas Day, and for much of Christmas Eve - so the chances of actually seeing the full moon are slim.

However, you might be able to see it peeking through the clouds in southern parts of the UK as the night goes on.

At any rate, you'll have a better chance of seeing the moon than the International Space Station, which is (theoretically) visible over the UK on Christmas Eve. The thick cloud cover will make it very difficult to spot, however.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in