Extra special supermoon expected over Switzerland on December 5

DoreenB Photography / Shutterstock.com

By Clara Bousfield

The final supermoon of 2025 will brighten skies over Switzerland on Friday, December 5. The moon will be unusually high in the sky, making the last supermoon of the year extra special.

December 5 supermoon will be higher than usual

On Friday, December 5, the last supermoon of 2025 will be visible in the sky. Compared to the October and November supermoons, December’s is expected to be special because it will be “particularly high in the sky”, reports Blick.

Known as the “Cold Moon”, this supermoon will be higher in the sky than other supermoons because of its closeness to the winter solstice, taking place on December 21. The winter solstice is when the moon is at the highest point in its orbit around Earth. 

Along with its closeness to the winter solstice, a lunar standstill is also expected. This is when “the moon's orbit and Earth's orbit overlap in such a way that the moon reaches its greatest distance from Earth,” continues Blick.

Supermoon won’t appear this big again until 2042

The occurrence of both the winter solstice and the lunar standstill means that the December 5 supermoon will be extra special. Predictions suggest that no other supermoon will be this high in the sky until 2042.

The Cold Moon is expected to peak in Switzerland at 12:14am on Friday. The weather on Thursday and into Friday is predicted to be partly cloudy with some sunny spells. Highs will be around 4 degrees celsius, according to MeteoSwiss, so wrap up warm and head to an area with limited light pollution and an open view of the sky for the best moon views.

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Clara Bousfield

Editor at IamExpat Media

News Editor for Switzerland at IamExpat Media. Clara studied American History and Politics in the U.K., and after working for six years at a tech company she quit her job and moved to Switzerland. Since 2023 she has been based in Lucerne, learning German and integrating into Swiss life (Swiss raclette grill and all). In her spare time she enjoys walking, baking, travelling to new places, and feeding her tea and coffee addiction.Read more

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