Rare full moon to light up skies on Christmas: NASA

WASHINGTON: A full moon will light up the skies this Christmas, a rare event which has not occurred since 1977 and will not happen again till 2034, according to NASA.

December's full moon, the last of the year, is called the Full Cold Moon because it occurs during the beginning of winter.

"This rare event won't happen again until 2034. That is a long time to wait, so make sure to look up to the skies on Christmas Day," NASA said in statement.

The US space agency's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission has been investigating the lunar surface since 2009.

"As we look at the Moon on such an occasion, it's worth remembering that the Moon is more than just a celestial neighbour," said John Keller from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre in Maryland, US.

"The geologic history of the Moon and Earth are intimately tied together such that the Earth would be a dramatically different planet without the Moon," he added.

The LRO mission has collected a treasure trove of data with its seven powerful instruments, making an invaluable contribution to our knowledge about the Moon, NASA said.