Santa Claus can use the light of a full moon to deliver gifts this year.
A full moon will occur on Christmas for the first time since 1977 and will reach its peak size at 6:11 a.m. ET (4:11 a.m. Arizona time) a NASA spokesperson told ABC News today.
The next full moon to fall on Christmas day will not be until 2034 and it will peak at 3:54 a.m., (1:54 a.m. Arizona time) according to NASA.
Every year, December’s full moon, which is the last of the year, is called the Full Cold Moon, Full Long Nights Moon or the Moon before Yule, according to the Farmer’s Almanac. This is because December nights are at “their longest and darkest” and during this month “the winter cold fastens its grip,” the Farmer’s Almanac notes.
Throughout December, the moon is above the horizon for a long time and the full moon has a high trajectory across the sky because it’s opposite a low sun, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.
