This full Moon has been called the Long Night Moon (Mohican), as it rises during the “longest” nights of the year, which are near the December winter solstice. This name is doubly fitting because December’s full Moon shines above the horizon for a longer period of time than most full Moons.

The full moon peaked at 11:36 pm EST December 18. That’s 0432 UTC on December 19. Because of a heavy cloud cover here earlier in the evening, I was unable to get a photograph until around midnight CST. The moon will appear full throughout the entirety of the weekend, well into Monday morning. NASA says this will be a “full moon weekend”.

The arrival of winter solstice a few days later is also a part of what makes this the longest full moon of the year, NASA says. Basically, during a full moon, the Moon, Sun, and Earth line up in a 180-degree line. This allows the sun’s rays of light to illuminate the entirety of the Moon facing the Earth. Because winter solstice is happening, though, the Sun’s path will actually appear lower in the sky. This allows the Moon to appear higher in the sky. Together that helps to create the longest of the year