Fan-favorite meteor shower to peak over Pennsylvania this week, along with a cold moon
The final full moon of 2024 will soon rise over central Pennsylvania, and local stargazers also have the chance to see a popular meteor shower peak this month.
The cold moon will peak at 4:02 a.m. Eastern Standard Time Sunday, Dec. 15, according to astronomy publication Space.com. Sunday is expected to bring rain and snow showers to State College, with temperatures ranging from 33 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit, AccuWeather reports.
The moon is also known as the bitter moon, full long nights moon and dead of winter moon, among other names, the Farmers’ Almanac reports. Many moon names come from Indigenous cultures. The almanac uses Indigenous moon names, along with monikers from colonial America and other North American sources.
While the cold moon won’t be a supermoon like the previous four full moons, it will peak right after the Geminid meteor shower, which is a fan-favorite of many astronomers, according to the American Meteor Society.
When to see the Geminid meteor shower from State College
The Geminids are “usually the strongest meteor shower of the year,” the American Meteor Society reports, and are typically bright and intensely colored. This year’s Geminid shower is active Dec. 2 to Saturday, Dec. 21 and will peak the night of Thursday, Dec. 12 going into Friday, Dec. 13.
The cold moon will reduce visibility of the shower’s peak as the moon will be nearly full when the Geminids peak this December. This doesn’t mean the whole shower will be washed out, though.
“If your skies are clear and transparent, you can still see many bright meteors by facing a direction with the moon at your back,” the American Meteor Society’s website says.
Thursday night is expected to be mostly clear with a low around 13 degrees in State College, according to the National Weather Service.
State College is seeing sunsets as early as 4:43 p.m., online clock Time and Date reports, but the Dec. 21 winter solstice will reverse the trend and bring longer days.
Full moon calendar for 2025
Here’s when to see full moons in 2025, from the Farmers’ Almanac:
Jan. 13: Wolf moon
Feb. 12: Snow moon
March 14: Worm moon
April 12: Pink moon
May 12: Flower moon
June 11: Strawberry moon
July 10: Buck moon
Aug. 9: Sturgeon moon
Sept. 7: Corn moon
Oct. 6: Harvest moon
Nov. 5: Beaver moon
Dec. 4: Cold moon
The full moons in October, November and December 2025 will be supermoons, according to Space.com.
