Christmas Day 2015 Will Have The Rare 'Full Cold Moon' Which Happened In 1977 And Will Appear Again In 2034

This Christmas Day 2015, Earth will also receive a gift from Nature, a "Full Cold Moon." Everyone will be blessed with the uncommon sight of the first full moon to rise on the holiday in nearly 40 years, a report on CBS News said.

It was in 1977 that Christmas was brightened by a full moon, and the next time it will happen will be on 2034. As it is a long time to wait, Science Daily said everyone should make sure they look up to skies to have a view of the full moon on Christmas Day.

As one does that, it is worth noting that currently, NASA has a spacecraft orbiting the moon, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. It has been investigating the moon's surface since 2009.

Thanks to LRO, people's knowledge about the moon has been increasing. The spacecraft has collected great date about the moon with its seven powerful instruments. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland manages the LRO for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

NASA said, on Christmas Day 2015, the full cold moon will be at peak on Dec. 25 6:11 a.m. EST.

Also known as the "Full Cold Moon," because it is the year's final full moon and when winter starts, this year, it comes a few days after the winter solstice, which will start on Dec. 21.

John Keller of Goddard Space Flight Center in NASA, Greenbelt, Maryland stated: "As we look at the moon on such an occasion, it's worth remembering that the moon is more than just a celestial neighbor."

He said the history of Earth and Moon are "intimately tied together such that the Earth would be a dramatically different planet without the moon."

This year also featured the Super Blood Moon eclipse in September, a supermoon-and-a-total lunar-eclipse in one.

Full cold moons seldom happen on Christmas Day because December nights are when the nights are the year's longest, and the moon gets to shine along. Temperatures are usually cold as well, noted Al.com. Hence, the Christmas Day 2015 full cold moon is indeed a real Nature's holiday gift.