The Full Moon on December 15, 2024, will rise and set at its most extreme northern points on the horizon—the result of once-every-18.6 years “major lunar standstill.”
The points on the horizon where the Moon rises and sets vary from day to day. The Full Moon on December 15, 2024, will take things to the ultimate extreme.
©Steffen Thorsen/timeanddate.com
The Sun and the Moon rise in the east and set in the west. But that’s not the whole story. On most days, the Sun and the Moon do not rise precisely in the east, nor do they set precisely in the west.
In the case of the Sun, the positions of sunrise and sunset shift slowly over the course of the year, following a pattern related to the solstices and equinoxes.
For the Moon, the positions of moonrise and moonset shift more quickly: over the course of a month rather than a year. There is also a subtle 18.6-year pattern that produces extreme rise and set positions during a roughly two-year period known as a “major lunar standstill.”
Explore moonrise and moonset directions for your cityDecember 2024 Full Moon will only be 99.82% full