This week is the 38th anniversary of a rare event which will cause millions to peer out at the night sky.
No, I’m not talking about Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The initial segment, A New Hope, did first appear in theaters in 1977 – 38 years ago – but of course there have been five other Star Wars films in the interim.
Instead, there will be a full moon on Christmas Day 2015 for the first time since 1977. For those who might want to see it, the moon will be entirely illuminated by the sun at 3:11 am PT (11:11 am GMT) on Friday December 25. This means Santa and his reindeer will have extra visibility this year, lessening the chance they miss your house.
According to The Farmer’s Almanac, a full moon in December is known as both the Long Nights Moon and the Full Cold Moon. In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, occurs on December 22 – this explains the first nickname. And this year, the weather here in “sunny California” is supposed to be near freezing during the full moon – which lives up to the second nickname.
We don’t have to wait as long for the next full moon on Christmas. According to NASA, it will happen in 2034, only 19 years from now.
That’s just enough time for someone to film episode 10, Star Wars: The Yule Moon Returns.
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