Rare full moon to light up Christmas Day

For all the "good" little munchkins who will be waiting for Santa Claus on Christmas, there is good news. This year, the heavenly landing light will be on!

Not since 1977 has a full moon dawned in the skies on Christmas, but this year, a bright full moon will be an added gift for the holidays.

December's full moon, the last of the year, is called the Full Cold Moon because it occurs during the beginning of winter. The moon's peak this year will occur at 6:11 a.m. EST.

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

As you gaze up at the Christmas moon, take note that NASA has a spacecraft currently orbiting Earth's moon. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission has been investigating the lunar surface since 2009.

John Keller, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said that as we look at the moon on such an occasion, it's worth remembering that the moon is more than just a celestial neighbor.

He added that 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.