Long Night Full Moon

This is a picture of the Full December Moon, at the time of Winter Solstice. The December Full Moon is called the Cold Moon or the Long Night Moon.

At the time of the Winter Solstice the Northern Hemisphere experiences the longest night of the year - at 40 degrees North the daylight is only 9 hours and 16 minutes.

The December Full Moon is opposite the Sun which rides low in the south during day, so the December Full Moon climbs high at night and lights the cold winter nights with its light.

Tycho crater with its long rays is visible at lower right, whereas the huge Lunar Maria Imbrium (\"Sea of Rains\") and Oceanus Procellarum (\"Ocean of Storms\") dominate the left part of the image (Lunar West).

Aristarchus crater is the brightest lunar feature of the vast Oceanus Procellarum, the largest of the lunar maria.

Next Month''s Full Moon (January 21) will pass right through Earth''s shadow, offering us a Total Lunar Eclipse. And since it will be near perigee, this will be a Super Full - Wolf - Blood Red - Moon!

Image Details:

Camera: EOS 550D

Telescope: Orion EON80 ED, F/6.25, ISO 100, 1/125 sec

Date: 22/12/18, 6:29 pm, Thessaloniki, Greece

Moon age 14.70 days, 100% iluminated

Processing: Adobe Camera Raw, Photoshop CS6