Final full moon of 2024 will be a lunar rarity

Because the cold moon is the full moon that happens closest to the winter solstice – the longest night of the year for the Northern Hemisphere – it takes the highest path along the top of the sky so it's visible longer than other full moons.

What is a major lunar standstill?

During a major lunar standstill, which occurs every 18.6 years, the moon rises and sets at its northernmost and southernmost positions on the horizon. On Dec. 15, the full moon will reach its most northerly point in the sky, according to the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.

It occurs, Space.com said, because the moon doesn't follow the same path as the sun. "Its rising and setting positions on the horizon change constantly due to the movements of Earth and the moon," Space.com reported.

Stonehenge, the ancient monument in England, is thought to have been designed with the major lunar standstill in mind. The alignment of the stones corresponds with the direction of the southernmost moonrise.

Why is December's full moon called the cold moon?

The term cold moon originated from The Mohawk tribe who named it for the frigid conditions that occur during it. The moon was also called the "long night moon" by the Mohicans, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.