He December 8 the celestial vault will show us the Ice Moon, the last full moon of 2022 and the longest of all, which will pave the way for the entry of winter in the northern hemisphere and summer for the southern hemisphere. The natural satellite will be completely illuminated by the Sun’s rays and will give us a magical view, so you will be able to see it.
How to see the Ice Moon 2022?
The Earth will be placed between the Sun and the Moon, which will allow the latter to fully receive the rays of our star and also face the night side of the planet. The result is a beautiful full moon that will close the month, that is, it will be the last full moon of the year.
The day Thursday December 8the Ice Moon will rise through the ecliptic, reaching its maximum at 10:36 p.m. Central Mexico time, it will be full for the next two days.
To observe it, it is recommended to look to the east at the moment when the natural satellite appears its first glimpses over the horizon. The Moon will appear in the east at approximately 6 p.m. It will be at this moment when it will be perceived as much larger and more dazzling. However, as it rises through the ecliptic it will appear to be losing size because the satellite is close to its apogee, which is the farthest point from Earth.
The satellite will be 406,321 kilometers from us, which is more than 22,000 kilometers from its average distance to Earth. On average, the Moon rotates at 384,400 kilometers from our planet, however, it does not have a perfectly circular orbit, so there are times when it moves away to its maximum distance, a point known as apogee, and other times when it approaches. too much to us, a moment known as perigee.
Once the Moon makes its appearance in the east at 6 p.m., it will continue its journey along the ecliptic, which is the imaginary line that cuts the celestial map with a curve from east to west. According to the , the Ice Moon will be the longest full moon of the whole year, well It will take 15 hours and 33 minutes to reach the westwhere it will finally end up not to be seen again until next year.
Why is it called Ice Moon?
The fills are different for each month and come from the worldview of traditional North American people who lived in complete harmony with nature. Thanks to this, they gave a specific name to each full moon depending on what happens on Mother Earth.
It is thanks to this that the full moon in December is called the Ice Moon, Cold Moon or Frozen Moon, since once it rises in the sky, a few days will pass until the arrival of the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere. On the other hand, the full moon in December marks the countdown to the start of summer in the southern hemisphere.
The eclipse of Mars
That of 2022 will not be the only phenomenon to admire in the sky, one night before the full moon, that is, on December 7, Mars will reach its closest approach to our planet and will shine brighter than usual. But a rare phenomenon will also occur that can rarely be seen; The Moon will eclipse the Red Planet.
It is called lunar occultation and it occurs when the Moon passes in front of a planet. This December 7, the Earth’s natural satellite will obscure Mars sometime between 6:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. ET, depending on the geographical area where it is located. The Mars eclipse will be visible in North America, Europe and North Africa. Turn to the celestial vault and watch our neighbor pass behind the Moon, a phenomenon that can rarely be observed.