The 'Bonus' Full Moon of 2012

By Nancy Atkinson - December 28, 2012 09:54 PM UTC | Observing

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

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:

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

Full Moon of December. Credit:

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

The Third Day of Christmas Moon. Credit:

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

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

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Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com