ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national space agency on Wednesday said this year’s final supermoon, known as the “Cold Moon,” will be visible across the country on the night between Dec. 4 and 5, making it the third such event of 2025.
The 99.2-percent-illuminated supermoon will rise in Pakistan at 4:58 p.m. on Dec. 4, reaching a peak illumination of 99.8 percent at 4:15 a.m. on Dec. 5, making it visible to the naked eye in areas with clear skies.
A supermoon can occur several times a year when a full moon coincides with the Moon’s closest approach to Earth, called perigee, in its elliptical orbit. The proximity makes the Moon appear slightly larger and brighter than a typical full moon.
“On the night of Dec. 4–5, the distance will be 357,218 km, making December’s full Moon appear approximately 7.9 percent larger and 15 percent brighter than an average full moon,” the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) said in a statement.
“While the visual difference is subtle to the unaided eye, exceptionally close alignments — producing the biggest and brightest supermoons — are considered rare and scientifically significant.”
The December full moon is traditionally called the “Cold Moon” because it appears amid winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
SUPARCO said no special equipment would be required to view the event, urging the public, astronomy enthusiasts, students and families to observe this “natural spectacle.”
The biggest and brightest supermoon of 2025 lit up skies worldwide on Nov. 5, when the Moon reached a distance of 356,978 km from Earth.
SUPARCO said this year’s sequence of supermoons is among the most notable in recent years, with favorable viewing conditions expected across South Asia, including Pakistan.
