Your last chance to see a supermoon in 2025 is approaching quickly. The full moon is scheduled to appear this week on Thursday, Dec. 4. And even if you don’t make plans to go out and see it, you’ll probably spot it anyway — it’ll be the brightest thing in the night sky.

December’s Cold Moon is the third of four consecutive supermoons and the last one of 2025. Supermoons tend to come in packs of four thanks to how the moon orbits the Earth. The orbit is elliptical, meaning the moon is closer during some months and farther away in others. When it’s close to Earth, it’s referred to as perigee, and full moons during perigee are considered supermoons.

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Since it is closer, the moon will be slightly bigger and brighter in the night sky. According to NASA, a supermoon is 14% larger and 33% brighter than a micro moon, which occurs during full moons when the moon is at its farthest point from Earth, a phenomenon known as apogee. Thus, it is the best time to view a full moon outside of special events like blood moons or lunar eclipses.

When is December’s full moon?

The Farmer’s Almanac reports that December’s full moon will take place on the evening of Dec. 4. It’ll reach peak illumination at 6:14 p.m. ET. Thanks to the recent daylight saving time change, it should be dark enough to see for most of the US, but if it isn’t, it’ll remain full all night. Those who can’t see it due to the weather can see a moon that is more than 90% full from Dec. 2-6. 

You won’t need any special equipment to see the moon, as it’ll be the brightest thing in the night sky by a wide margin. Those who want to see more detail can certainly use a telescope or binoculars if they choose, which will make the moon’s various craters and textures easier to see. 

December’s full moon is often referred to as the Cold Moon, as it typically occurs when the weather starts to become quite chilly. The moon is earning its name this time around, as a polar vortex is scheduled to hit the US during Thanksgiving and will stick around for a while afterward. The polar vortex will drive down temperatures across a lot of the US this week, so if you do go outside, make sure to bundle up. 

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a fun one if, like me, you’re a fan of a certain winter sport. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: On the ice.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: He shoots, he scores!

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

• HOSE, LOSE, GOAL, RINK, BRING, SCORE, CORE, BOARD

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

• GOALS, ZAMBONI, SKATES, PUCK, STICKS, SCOREBOARD

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is HOCKEYRINK. To find it, start with the H that’s the farthest-left letter on the top row, and wind down and across.

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Today is Cyber Monday, and most of the best deals from Black Friday will stick around for an extra day. There are still plenty of amazing items on sale right now, and it’s a great time to pick up a fantastic headphone deal— even at the high end.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Headphones (2nd Gen) are down to $349 at B&H in Midnight Violet — a $100 discount off the usual $449 list price. That’s an excellent deal on some of the best active noise-cancelling headphones money can buy, and the lowest full‑warranty price I’ve seen so far.

CNET highly recommends the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, which holds the top spot in our best headphones roundup, so you can be confident this is money well spent.

These headphones not only look the part (they’re gorgeous) but they also have the features to match. Hybrid noise‑cancelling technology ensures that you hear only what you want to and nothing that you’d rather avoid. Meanwhile. Immersive Audio and Cinema Mode spatialize the sounds you’re hearing and make them appear as if they’re coming from beyond the headphones themselves. It makes for a more natural sound, especially when listening to compatible music.

Other notable features include multipoint Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity so you can use your new headphones with multiple devices, USB‑C wired audio mode for lossless playback, and up to 30 hours of playback on a single charge (23 hours with Immersive Audio).

Looking to make calls with your new headphones? No problem. The QuietComfort Ultra headphones have no fewer than 12 microphones for crystal‑clear audio, and they deliver excellent voice calling performance, as we noted in our Bose QuietComfort Ultra review.

Why this deal matters

A great pair of ANC headphones can make a huge difference when you’re trying to get work done in a noisy office or block out the chaos of your commute. Bose consistently delivers some of the best ANC on the market, and this Cyber Monday deal means you can get in on the action for $100 less than usual — with full warranty coverage.