--- title: Full Moon to Rise on Christmas For First Time Since 1977 description: A full moon will light up the night sky on Christmas for the first time since 1977, a NASA spokesperson said. canonical: https://time.com/4146840/full-moon-christmas/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-12T20:06:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:41:24.100Z article:section: Science og:title: Full Moon to Rise on Christmas For First Time Since 1977 og:description: It won't happen again until 2034 og:url: https://time.com/4146840/full-moon-christmas/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt55ffabbac12e5e08/69887524196cf434c5039714/gettyimages-459250859.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4103 og:image:height: 2308 og:image:alt: Moon over a Christmas tree og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Full Moon to Rise on Christmas For First Time Since 1977 twitter:description: It won't happen again until 2034 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt55ffabbac12e5e08/69887524196cf434c5039714/gettyimages-459250859.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Full Moon to Rise on Christmas for First Time Since 1977 > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Future Proof: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Future Proof is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Making sense of the climate and energy economy. Future Proof examines the forces transforming energy and climate, and what those changes mean for business, technology, policy and the global economy. Senior correspondent Justin Worland goes beyond traditional climate coverage to connect the energy transition to the bigger decisions reshaping companies, markets and society. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=cfc475ce-0131-4659-a6d9-5f0e13f05bb4&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Friday (1x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Justin Worland, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Senior leaders shaping the climate transition. An engaged audience of executives and decision-makers spanning operating companies, finance, policy, consulting, communications and media. ### TIME Future Proof: key statements * Future Proof is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Future Proof is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=cfc475ce-0131-4659-a6d9-5f0e13f05bb4&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/subscribe?i=cfc475ce-0131-4659-a6d9-5f0e13f05bb4&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's climate and energy newsletter? Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=cfc475ce-0131-4659-a6d9-5f0e13f05bb4&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) ## Video: The Best Gift This Christmas? A Rare Full Moon. [Watch (HLS stream): The Best Gift This Christmas? A Rare Full Moon.](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/XwhCnBqA.m3u8) (0:34)  _Published 2015-12-12. If you're looking for the best gift for someone this year, just take them outside for this rare celestial event._  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Dec 12, 2015 8:06 PM UTC  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Dec 12, 2015 8:06 PM UTC Rudolph can [retire his red nose for the night.](http://abcnews.go.com/US/full-moon-light-christmas-time-1977/story?id=35724307) A full moon will light up the night sky on Christmas for the first time since 1977, a NASA spokesperson told ABC News. The celestial phenomenon won’t happen again on Christmas until 2034, NASA said. The full moon will reach its peak at 6:11 a.m. E.T., according to ABC. The last full moon of the year in December is called the Full Cold Moon, although it is also known as the Moon before Yule, according to the [Farmers’ Almanac](http://farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names/). It has a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low sun, the Farmers’ Almanac said. \[[_ABC_](http://abcnews.go.com/US/full-moon-light-christmas-time-1977/story?id=35724307)\] ## Transcript Rudolph, it looks like you can take this Christmas off. Santa won't have any trouble getting around this year. NASA says for the first time since 1977 there'll be a full moon to light the way on December 25th. The last full moon of the year is called the Full Cold Moon. But it's very rare for it to drop in on Christmas. Thanks to longer and darker nights they are some of the brightest you can see. If you want to get the full effect, head outside at 6: 11 AM Eastern time to catch the rare event in person. And don't worry, Rudolph isn't out of a job yet. NASA says this won't happen again until 2034. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4146840/full-moon-christmas/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4146840/full-moon-christmas/"},"headline":"Full Moon to Rise on Christmas for First Time Since 1977","datePublished":"2015-12-12T20:06:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-05T08:41:24.100Z","description":"It won't happen again until 2034","url":"https://time.com/4146840/full-moon-christmas/","keywords":["Space"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt55ffabbac12e5e08/69887524196cf434c5039714/gettyimages-459250859.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt55ffabbac12e5e08/69887524196cf434c5039714/gettyimages-459250859.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Moon over a Christmas tree","caption":"A full moon will light up the night sky on Christmas for the first time since 1977.","creditText":"RJ Sangosti—The Denver Post/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/space/","name":"Space"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4146840/full-moon-christmas/","name":"Full Moon to Rise on Christmas for First Time Since 1977"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Best Gift This Christmas? A Rare Full Moon.","description":"If you're looking for the best gift for someone this year, just take them outside for this rare celestial event.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/XwhCnBqA/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-12-12T23:42:55.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/XwhCnBqA.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4146840/full-moon-christmas/","duration":"PT34S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4146840/full-moon-christmas/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```