Full moon December 2026: Cold Moon in Cancer

What time is it where you are?

The same instant falls on different dates around the world, so check the date as well as the time.

Moonrise and the highest point

A full moon rises around sunset and climbs highest around the middle of the night. These are the moonrise nearest the exact moment and the Moon's highest point after it, in local time.

Of these cities, it rides highest in Dubai, at 90°, and lowest in Sydney, at 29°.

Height is the angle above the horizon, where 90° would be straight overhead. A full moon near the horizon is the same size as a high one. It only looks bigger.

Why it's called the Cold Moon

The full moon nearest the winter solstice, when the nights in the Northern Hemisphere are at their longest and coldest.

The stars behind this full moon

Signs follow the seasons and constellations are patterns of stars, and the two have drifted apart over the centuries. At 2°14′ Cancer, the Moon actually stands in front of Gemini, the twins, not the constellation Cancer is named after. The Sun, on the far side of the sky at 2°13′ Capricorn, is in front of Sagittarius.

More about GeminiWhy signs and constellations differSee the real sky at your own birth

How close is the Moon?

At 356,729 km from Earth, this is the closest of the 13 full moons of 2026. It looks 14% wider than the farthest full moon of the year, on 31 May 2026, a difference that is easier to measure than to see.

Perigee, the closest point of this orbit, comes on 24 December 2026 at 08:32 UTC, 7 hours after the exact full moon, at 356,641 km. Apogee, the farthest point, comes on 11 December 2026 at 406,407 km. When a full or new moon falls this close to perigee, tides tend to run a little higher than usual for a day or two.

The planets at this full moon

Where everything else stands at the exact moment, and any major aspect each planet makes to the Moon, using the same orbs Hali uses in every chart.

The tightest contact is a square from Neptune, 0.6° from exact. A square from Neptune adds some friction, which often gets things moving. With Mercury opposite the Moon, its themes tend to show up as a pull in another direction. A sextile from Jupiter offers an opening that is easy to miss if you are not looking. Jupiter and Uranus are retrograde at this moment.

Planets to look for

The bright Moon washes out faint stars, but the planets still shine through.

• Mercury is too close to the Sun to see.
• Venus is in the morning sky before dawn, in front of Libra.
• Mars is in the morning sky before dawn, in front of Leo.
• Jupiter is in the morning sky before dawn, in front of Leo.
• Saturn is in the evening sky after sunset, in front of Cetus.

Eclipse season

The Moon is 49.4° from the South Node, one of the two points where its path crosses the Sun's. Eclipses only happen when a new or full moon falls near a node, so this one falls outside eclipse season. The next eclipse is the annular solar eclipse at the new moon of February 2027.

What the lunar nodes are

This lunar cycle

This full moon is the peak of the cycle that began with the new moon in Sagittarius on 9 December 2026. The cycle ends with the new moon on 7 January 2027.

A full moon in Cancer

With the Sun opposite in Capricorn, this full moon weighs home against ambition. Feelings about family, safety and belonging tend to surface, and they are worth listening to.

Astrology reads full and new moons as moments for reflection, not predictions. Take what helps and leave the rest.

When the Moon is in Cancer

With the Moon in its own sign, Cancer days turn people towards home, family and comfort. Feelings sit close to the surface, so be gentle with yourself and with others.

More about the Moon in Cancer

The same moon in other years

• Last yearFull moon December 2025, Gemini
• Next yearFull moon December 2027, Gemini