Full Cold Supermoon To Rise Sunday Night

By Chris Spears

DENVER (CBS4) - Sky watchers and photographers get ready!

The December full moon happens this weekend and it will be extra special this year because it's the only supermoon of 2017.

A supermoon is when a full moon coincides with the moon's perigee, or the point in its orbit when closest to Earth. It will appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than normal.

The moon will officially be full at 8:46 a.m. MT in Denver on Sunday, Dec. 3. It will rise in Denver at 5:09 p.m. that evening and reaches perigee at 1:45 a.m. MT on Monday, Dec. 4.

According to space.com, it'll be 222,135 miles away when at perigee.

The December full moon is called the Full Cold Moon because December is the month when winter cold typically settles in and the nights become long and dark.

Some Native American tribes also call the December full moon the Long Nights Moon.

Meteorologist Chris Spears travels weekly in the CBS4 Mobile Weather Lab reporting about Colorado's weather and climate. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.