Photos of the last full moon of the year and decade

Large pink moon about a quarter behind a blue hill in deep blue twilight.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Colin Jex in Arnside, Cumbria, United Kingdom, captured this photo of the full moon setting behind the Lake District mountains on December 30, 2020. Thank you, Colin!

Whether you called it the Cold Moon, Wolf Moon or Good Riddance Moon, the last full moon of 2020 and this decade graced skies on December 29 and 30 around the globe. Our friends shared their best shots at EarthSky Community Photos, and you can too! We always welcome your photos of what’s happening in the sky.

Enjoy these photos of the final full moon of the year, and remember to keep looking up!

Large sphere with grey areas (the cratered moon) on black background, white text in upper right corner.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mohamed Mohamed in Tripoli, Libya, captured this photo of the full moon on December 30, 2020. He wrote: “It’s the last full moon of the decade , It’s also known as the ‘Cold Moon’ or ‘Long Night Moon’.” Thank you, Mohamed!

Tall buildings in foreground with large, bright orange-yellow orb top right corner.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Kannan A in Woodlands, Singapore, captured this photo of the full moon on December 30, 2020. He wrote: “This was the moonset this morning in the north west of Singapore. The moon looks so huge against the backdrop of the highrise block of flats. The sky was still dark and if one does not look carefully, it may be even mistaken for a sun! The real beauty of 2020’s last full moon and the year’s 13th full moon was evident this morning.” Thank you, Kannan!

Closeup of the full moon, looking pinkish-yellowish.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Aurelian Neacsu in Visina, Dambovita, Romania, captured this photo of the moon on December 30, 2020. He wrote: “The last full moon of the year.” Thanks, Aurelian!

Large brilliant yellow moon with an airplane silhouetted against it.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Todd Hull in Seoul, South Korea, captured this photo of the full moon on December 30, 2020. He wrote: “Flying into the next decade. I caught this plane flying in front of the last full moon of the decade and saw it as a hopeful symbol for the next ten years.” Thank you, Todd!

pick/purple landscape, upper half mirrored in lower half, white orb in top centre.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Reihane Mohebali in Tafresh, Iran, captured this photo of the full moon mirrored in a lake on December 29, 2020. Reihane wrote: “Here’s the last full moon of the year 2020 on Tafresh, Iran. Some anticrepuscular rays can be seen over the eastern horizon.” Stunning, thank you Reihane!

white grey orb in centre with thin veils of grey diagonally across.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Michael Fredricks in Asheville, North Carolina, USA, captured this photo of the full moon rising through thin clouds on December 29, 2020. Thank you, Michael!

Reddish moon halfway over prairie horizon under a slate-colored clear dusk sky.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Sheryl Garrison in Southern Alberta, Canada, captured this photo of the moon on December 29, 2020. She wrote: “Loved catching the setting 99.7% full moon this morning in 10 degrees F (-12 C) temperatures underneath the Earth’s shadow and the belt of Venus.” Thank you, Sheryl!

Full moon floats in the midst of white clouds in a dark blue sky above bare trees.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Richard Dilullo in Marlton, New Jersey, captured this photo of the full moon on December 29, 2020. He wrote: “December’s setting full ‘cold’ moon over Kings Grant Lake.” Thanks, Richard!

Full yellow moon in sky fading from deep blue to purple, above bare trees.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Ioana Babau in Timisoara, Romania, captured this photo of the full moon on December 29, 2020. She wrote: “Last full moon of this year, of this decade.” Thanks, Ioana!

spiky orbs and lines in front of bright circle

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Patti Weeks in Greenville, North Carolina, USA, captured this photo of the full moon as a backdrop on December 29, 2020. She wrote: “With so many sweet gum trees in eastern North Carolina, they are sure to obstruct my view of the moon. So I used a vantage point of the full Cold Moon that highlighted the silhouettes of the gum balls before the moon rose above the trees.” Thank you Patti!

Full yellow moon peeps out from valley between two scrub-covered hills.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Ken Chan in San Jose, California, captured this photo of the full moon on December 29, 2020. He wrote: “Full moon rising over the foothills in San Jose, CA.” Thanks, Ken!

Full moon in a blue sky surrounded by red clouds.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mimi Ditchie in Avila Beach, California, captured this photo of the moon on December 28, 2020. She wrote: “This is a photo of last night’s almost full moon with pink clouds at sunset. Some say, according to your article, that it’s the last full moon of the decade while some say that occurred last December. It’s also known as the Cold Moon or Long Night Moon.” Thank you, Mimi!

Bottom line: Your photos of the last full moon of 2020 and this past decade have brightened our day!

Kelly Kizer Whitt

Kelly Kizer Whitt has been a science writer specializing in astronomy for more than two decades. She began her career at Astronomy Magazine, and she has made regular contributions to AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club, among other outlets. Her children’s picture book, Solar System Forecast, was published in 2012. She has also written a young adult dystopian novel titled A Different Sky. When she is not reading or writing about astronomy and staring up at the stars, she enjoys traveling to the national parks, creating crossword puzzles, running, tennis, and paddleboarding. Kelly lives with her family in Wisconsin.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

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