Golden Horizon: Sunrise Sunset

December 2026 Supermoon: When to See the Cold Moon Rise on Christmas Eve

The December 24, 2026 full moon, the Cold Moon, is the closest supermoon of the year, about 14% wider and 30% brighter than the smallest full moon. Moonrise times vs. golden hour for Seoul, Tokyo, London, New York, and Los Angeles, plus moonrise direction.

Published November 5, 2026Updated November 5, 2026American English

The last full moon of 2026 lands on Christmas Eve. It's the closest of the year's three supermoons, which makes it the biggest full moon you can see in 2026. In North America the December full moon is called the Cold Moon. It's exactly full at 01:28 UTC on December 24, which is 8:28 PM EST and 5:28 PM PST on December 23.

Short version: Seoul, Tokyo, and London get the best moonrise on the evening of December 24. New York and Los Angeles should go out on December 23. Those are the evenings when the Moon clears the horizon during golden hour. I computed the moonrise times for each city below.

The closest full moon of 2026

When I wrote about the November supermoon, I mentioned December would be even closer. Computing the distance of all thirteen 2026 full moons confirms it: December 24 is the closest, at about 356,738 km (221,666 miles). That's roughly 4,000 km closer than November 24 (about 360,765 km).

Bar chart of the Earth–Moon distance for all 13 full moons of 2026. January 3, November 24, and December 24 are marked as supermoons, with December 24 the closest at 356,738 km — A shorter bar means a closer, slightly bigger full moon.

Compared with the most distant full moon of the year (May 31, about 406,135 km), it looks about 14% wider and about 30% brighter. Perigee follows only about seven hours after the full moon, at 08:45 UTC on December 24. Full moon and perigee rarely line up this closely.

Honestly, the difference from November is just over 1% in diameter, which no one can see by eye. If you want the Moon to look big, what matters is seeing it low on the horizon next to buildings or mountains. That's why this guide focuses on moonrise time and direction.

Moonrise vs. golden hour by city

Same definitions as before: golden hour is when the Sun is between 6° above and 4° below the horizon, blue hour between 4° and 6° below. All times are local.

Moonrise and sunset times for Seoul, Tokyo, London, New York, and Los Angeles on December 23–25, 2026. December 24 is highlighted for Seoul, Tokyo, and London, and December 23 for New York and Los Angeles — Gold cells mark evenings when the Moon rises in golden hour.

New York: December 23 moonrise 3:58 PM, sunset 4:32 PM. On the 24th the Moon rises at 5:14 PM, after blue hour has ended.
Los Angeles: December 23 moonrise 4:29 PM, sunset 4:48 PM.
London: December 24 moonrise 4:07 PM, sunset 3:55 PM, near the end of golden hour.
Seoul: December 24 moonrise 5:19 PM, sunset 5:18 PM. The Moon comes up right as the Sun goes down.
Tokyo: December 24 moonrise 4:32 PM, sunset 4:32 PM.

Because the exact full moon falls on the evening of December 23 in the Americas, that night's Moon is the fullest there. In Korea and Japan the full moon is on the morning of the 24th, so that evening's moonrise is the one to catch.

Where the Moon rises

The Cold Moon rises in the east-northeast. In New York on December 23 it comes up at an azimuth of about 53°, while the Sun sets in the southwest at about 239°. Stand somewhere with an open eastern horizon and you get the sunset glow behind you and the rising full moon in front.

Golden Horizon's moon direction map showing moonrise, current, and moonset azimuths as lines on a map — Set the date and the moonrise direction is drawn on the map.

In Golden Horizon I set the date on the moon direction map first, then check whether a building or ridge I want in the shot sits on the moonrise line. Line yourself up with the subject along that line and you're set.

Winter full moons ride high

A December full moon climbs as high as the summer Sun. In New York I computed about 73° around 1 AM on December 25, compared with only about 24° for the June 30 full moon at its highest.

That makes late-night landscape shots with the Moon hard, since it's nearly overhead. But it stays up a long time and high above haze, which is great for naked-eye viewing or close-ups of the lunar surface. Shoot landscapes at moonrise, and the Moon itself around midnight.

Tips for a winter moonrise

The first 10–20 minutes after moonrise matter most. December sunsets come early and golden hour is short. In New York, blue hour on December 23 ends around 5:03 PM.
Shoot from far away with a telephoto lens. The farther you are from your subject, the bigger the Moon looks next to it.
Bring spare batteries. Cold drains them fast. Keep spares in an inside pocket.
Expose for the Moon and take lots of frames. As the sky darkens, the Moon blows out quickly.

For planning the light itself, see the golden hour photography guide. To check supermoons and other moon events in the app, see checking planet, blue moon, and solar eclipse events. The same month also has the Geminid meteor shower on December 13–14.

Summary

The December 2026 supermoon, the Cold Moon, is the closest full moon of the year. In New York and Los Angeles, look east-northeast around sunset on December 23. In Seoul, Tokyo, and London, go out on Christmas Eve. The next supermoon is January 22, 2027. Hope the skies stay clear.