Get A Good Look At 2025’s Last Super Moon This Week

Since we're just about 3 weeks away from Christmas 2025, there are lots of really cool things to take a look at during the nighttime hours, but almost all of those things are holiday light displays celebrating the season.

Almost all of those things.

Don't get me wrong, I love seeing streets and houses and yards all lit up with bright Christmas lighting, but if you don't mind looking up a little higher in the sky, you'll get a look at something really cool, bright, and interesting that doesn't require an extension cord to work.

Put a reminder in your phone to look up on Thursday night and see the "Cold Moon," the last super moon of 2025.

It's Not Just A Full Moon, It's A Super Moon

That happens when the full moon coincides with the moon being near its closest point to Earth in its orbit (called perigee). The result is that the moon appears slightly larger and brighter than an average full moon. When you combine the brightness of the moon with the reflective nature of snow on the ground, you get a pretty cool visual result.

What's even better is that you don't have to stay up really late or get up very early to see it.

For all of us in Northern Illinois, official data shows the moon will peak (100% illumination) at 5:14pm local time on Thursday, December 4th. That means moonrise (around sunset) and the first few hours after dark will be your prime viewing window. Because the moon will be near the horizon at moonrise, it may look even more dramatic, larger and richer in color, thanks to something called the “moon illusion,” which is an optical illusion where the moon appears much larger on the horizon than it does in the sky

Because this is also a December full moon, the moon will climb much higher in the winter sky than we’re used to in summer, so it will stay visible for a good chunk of the night.

If you miss out, you won't have to wait long for the next super moon, the "Wolf Moon," which peaks on January 3rd.