A full moon will be visible this month at 6:11am on Christmas Day. The last full moon on Christmas Day happened since 1977 and will happen again until 2034.

December's full moon last year was called the Full Cold Moon because it occurs during the beginning of winter.

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

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The geologic history of the moon and Earth are intimately tied together such that the Earth would be a dramatically different planet without the moon. Without the moon, we would have less tide differences along the coastlines. There would be shorter days, and more extreme climate differences.

The pull of the moons gravity will affect the ocean water depths along our coastlines. It also helps slow down the rotation of the Earth due to this tidal friction. Actually, the Earth's rotation is slowing down about 2 seconds every 100,000 years. But without having the moon, this rotation would speed up and a day on Earth would be several hours shorter.

The moon also stabilizes the Earth's tilt. Sometimes, the earth would tilt all the way over and lie on its side in relation to its orbit around the sun without the moon. This would make for extreme differences between temperatures and daylight throughout the year in earth.

The moon is actually moving away from the earth for about 4 centimeters per year. By the time the moon will have moved far enough away for any serious consequences to occur, the sun will have become a red giant and will consume the Earth and the Moon. So on Christmas Eve, when you look toward the sky, make sure to take in the bright full moon because it is one of the greatest gifts to our home planet.

TagsFull Moon, full moon on christmas eve, full moon on christmas, advantage of moon, christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas weather, Earth, Full Cold Moon, Christmas Day