This one is for all my fellow sky gazers out there. Who else gets so busy in life they often forget to stop and look up to the sky and look at the great wonder above? When it's crisp and cold, you might not think about it as much, but it's never a bad idea to bundle up, have a hot cup of hot cocoa or even a hot toddy (zero judgement here) and look to the sky.

Photo by Lenora Barcellos on Unsplash
Photo by Lenora Barcellos on Unsplash
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I honestly can get lost in the moment looking up at the stars and doing my best to see where the constellations are and which ones I know off hand. But lets not forget the beauty of a full moon! Every month the full moon has a different name and for different reasons.

Coming up in the December is the final full moon of 2022 and it's a Cold one. No really, that's what it's called the Full Cold Moon. Shocker, the reason being as described by Time and Date:

December is the month when winter truly begins in most of the Northern Hemisphere. Most of the ancient Full Moon names are related to the low temperatures and darkness of December. The most common name is the Cold Moon, while another is Long Night Moon.

Gary Boyle, The Backyard Astronomer from Canada, also shares a little regarding the Cold Moon, stating

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On the night of December 7, the full Cold Moon will cover the bright planet Mars for about an hour, depending on where you live. Mars will be at its best for viewing the next night as it is closest to our planet which occurs every 26 months.

So technically you should be looking up at the sky for two different reasons, December 7 to see the full Cold Moon and December 8 to see Mars closer than normal to Earth to which Boyle also shared it's, "considered a rare event".

Mars disappears - Image Credit - Gary Boyle "The Backyard Astronomer
Mars disappears - Image Credit - Gary Boyle "The Backyard Astronomer
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But at the end of the day can we see this "rare" full Cold Moon in Minnesota, yes, yes we can on December 7! As long as there isn't a bunch of cloud coverage or winter storm going on, we know in Minnesota how that can ruin a good sky gaze. But either way keep on gazing and stay warm.

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