The ‘Bonus’ Full Moon of 2012

The Moon and Jupiter above the dishes in Canberra, Australia. Credit: Carlos Orue.

The full Moon today is considered a bonus for 2012, since it is the 13th full Moon of the year. But this full Moon has also been a bonus in the sense that we’re getting several nights in a row of nearly full Moons. According to Universe Today’s Phases of the Moon App, the face of the Moon on the night of the 25th was 96% illuminated; on the 26th it was 99% illuminated; the night of the 27th/morning of the 28th was the full Moon, (officially, the Moon was most full at 10:21 UTC (4:21 EST this morning), and tonight, the 28th, the face of the Moon is again 99% illuminated. And if you’re enjoying a wintery landscape like I currently am, the brilliance of the Moonlight on snow is bright enough to keep you awake at night.

Enjoy some great astrophotos submitted for photographers around the world of the bonus — and final — full Moon of 2012.

The last full Moon of 2012 — the Full Cold Moon, as seen from the James C. Veen Observatory near Lowell, Michigan. Credit: Kevin on Flickr.

The last full moon of the year as seen from the Middle Eastern Technical University Physics department in Ankara, Turkey. Credit: Nükleer Kedi

Full Moon of December. Credit: Henna Khan

Full Moon, December 27, 2012 from London, England. Credit: Sculptor Lil.

The Third Day of Christmas Moon. Credit: Andrei Juravle

Closeup of Tycho Crater on Dec. 23, 2012. Credit: Fred Locklear

Closeup of the Moon on Dec. 26, 2012. Credit: César Cantú

Want to get your astrophoto featured on Universe Today? Join our Flickr group or send us your images by email (this means you’re giving us permission to post them). Please explain what’s in the picture, when you took it, the equipment you used, etc.