It should be easier than usual to spot Santa Claus making his magical journey from the North Pole on Christmas Eve, thanks to the first full moon to be seen on the holiday since 1977. Even better, you can watch for St. Nick in the live video feed below, courtesy of the Slooh online observatory.
Slooh astronomers will provide live observations of the Christmas full moon from the observatory at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands, beginning at 4 p.m. PT on Thursday.
Around 9 p.m. PT, you might also catch a glimpse of a “Christmas Comet,” so called because some believe the Star of Bethlehem that guided the wise men in the original Christmas story was actually a comet. The Christmas Comet is also known as Comet Catalina.
NASA says the next Christmas full moon won’t be until 2034, so it’s worth checking out. (You can find your local moonrise data here.)
While this final full moon of the year is referred to as the “Full Cold Moon” because it occurs at the beginning of the Northern winter, it seems much more certain it will warm the hearts of the children who will use its reflection to spy a glimpse of Kris Kringle.
Livestream