The Christmas Eve full Moon 2026, the closest of the year

The December full Moon of 2026 falls on December 24, at about 01:30 UTC. It is the closest full Moon of the year. Some people call a close full Moon a supermoon.

At full Moon, it is 356,738 km from Earth. About 7 hours later, the Moon reaches its closest point for the month.

How much bigger

The Moon goes around Earth on a path that is not a perfect circle. So its distance changes all the time.

On December 24, the Moon looks about 8% wider than at its average distance, and about 16% brighter. That is real, but it is hard to see with your eyes. There is nothing to compare it with in the sky.

When to look

The full Moon rises in the east near sunset, and it is up all night.

• The Americas: the evening of December 23. The exact full Moon is that night.
• Europe, Africa and western Asia: the evening of December 23. The exact full Moon is after midnight, in the night of December 23 to 24.
• East Asia and Australia: the evening of December 24. The exact full Moon is earlier that day, in your daytime.

The night before and the night after also show a Moon that looks full.

The best view

The best time is moonrise. A Moon low on the horizon, behind trees or buildings, looks huge. That is a trick of your brain, called the Moon illusion. It is not the distance. But it is a good show.

1. Find the time of moonrise for your place.
2. Go to a place with a low, open view to the east.
3. Be there a few minutes before the Moon comes up.

See the full Moon on the live sky map, from your place. Read more on the December full Moon page.

Next month

The full Moon of January 22, 2027 is almost as close, 357,644 km away. If clouds hide the Christmas Moon, try again then.