When to see a cold supermoon, the strongest meteor shower of year peak over PA
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- Final full moon of 2025 will be a 'cold' supermoon over Pennsylvania Dec. 4-5.
- Geminid meteor shower peaks Dec. 13–14; 100+ meteors per hour at peak in dark areas.
- Forecast shows mostly cloudy skies and lows near 17°F for full moon peak.
The final full moon of 2025 will be a supermoon, and it will peak soon over Pennsylvania, just ahead of a popular meteor shower peak this month.
The “cold” supermoon moon will peak at 8:20 a.m. Eastern Standard Time Thursday, Dec. 4. The full moon generally appears full the day before and after its peak, but Forbes reports the best time to see it will be at moonrise during dusk Friday, Dec. 5.
The moon will rise over State College at 5:11 p.m. Dec. 5, according to online clock Time and Date. Weather conditions might not be ideal for stargazing, though. The National Weather Service forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies, with a low around 17 degrees Fahrenheit.
As you might expect, December’s “cold” moon gets its name from the seasonal chilly temperatures. Alternate names for the cold moon include the drift clearing moon, frost exploding trees moon, moon of the popping trees and hoar frost moon, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. The almanac uses Indigenous moon names, along with monikers from colonial America and other North American sources.
December’s full cold moon will also be a supermoon, the third in a row in 2025. Supermoons appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than when the moon is at its furthest point, according to National Geographic.
A supermoon is defined as either a new or full moon that occurs when the moon is within 90% of its closest approach to Earth, NASA reports, and supermoons are the “biggest and brightest” full moons of the year. Supermoon is not an official astronomical term, according to NASA, so definitions vary.
When to see a popular meteor shower in December
In addition to the cold supermoon, December will also bring the Geminid meteor shower, which the American Meteor Society reports is “usually the strongest meteor shower of the year.” One of the other strongest and most popular showers of the year is the Perseid shower in August.
The Geminids will be active Dec. 4 to Wednesday, Dec. 17, according to the American Meteor Society, peaking the night of Saturday, Dec. 13 to Sunday, Dec. 14. Geminids are often bright and intensely colored, and the moon will be 30% full when the shower peaks this year.
The meteor shower should be more visible this year compared to last year since the moon will be less full. In a dark location, stargazers could see more than 100 meteors per hour at the shower’s peak, AccuWeather reports. The best time to see the shower will be between 10 p.m. Dec. 13 to 2 a.m. Dec. 14, forecasters say.
For those looking to stargaze in a group, Central Pennsylvania Observers host free public sky watches. The organization’s last posted stargazing event for the year was Oct. 4, but you can check back on its website for future events and meetings.
