JACKSON, Wyo. — Step outside this evening, Dec. 7, to catch the last full moon of 2022 which will also coincide with a “lunar occultation.”
According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the astronomical event will occur a few hours after sunset. The moon will begin drifting close to Mars and then obscure it completely. Mars appears in the night sky as a bright-looking star with a reddish glow to the left or lower left of the moon.
The lunar occultation will be visible in North America, except along the east coast, gulf coast, Appalachia region and western Alaska. In those regions, Mars will appear close to the moon but not in full occultation, says The Almanac.
The moon will rise at 4:19 p.m. this afternoon and reach peak illumination at 9:08 p.m. This is the last full moon of 2022 and is commonly known as the “Cold Moon,” named by the Mohawk tribes, a nod to the freezing temperatures that set in this time of year.
The “Cold Moon” is ringing true here in Jackson, temperatures this week are expected to be in the mid to high teens.
According to The Almanac, the Cree people have called December’s full moon the “Drift Clearing Moon,” “Exploding Trees Moon” and “Hoar Frost Moon,” all in reference to the cold and snow. Cherokee and Haida nations called December’s moon the “Snow Moon.” Western Abenaki called it the “Winter Maker Moon.” The Algonquin tribes named December’s full moon the “Wolf Moon” after the wolf packs roaming through the snow this time of year.
The Mohican name, the “Long Night Moon,” refers to the long nights surrounding the winter solstice and the fact that this full moon hangs above the horizon for longer than other full moons. Ancient pagans called December’s full moon the “Moon Before Yule” referring to the Yuletide festival celebrating the winter solstice.
If you do plan to venture out this evening, send Buckrail full-moon shots for a chance to be featured in an upcoming “SNAPPED.”
