Christmas is one of the most awaited festivals and every year people enjoy it with their loved ones. This year’s Christmas will be even more interesting as a full moon is going to lighten the Christmas sky almost after four decades, said scientists.

According to Fred Espenak, an eclipse and moon expert with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, the last time when a full moon appeared on the Christmas Day was the time when the world’s first personal hit the market, which was in 1977.

Experts said that a full moon appears on the same day at an average of twice in any 59-year period. According to NASA, the next full moon on Christmas Day could be seen most probably till 2034.

Usually earth’s moon reaches its full face about once a month, but the timing of the moon’s phase shifts over time. This is because the average month is of about 30.44 days, whereas the moon’s cycle repeats on average of every 29.53 days, this means that the full moon could be seen a day earlier of every successive month.

Last full moon of every December is called Cold Moon. According to space.com, some Native American cultures call this event as the Long Nights Moon. This is the time when the winter solstice starts around the same time, and brings with it the longest night of the year.

While travelling its elliptical path around earth, the moon gets about 30,000 miles closer at perigee than at its farthest extreme, apogee, said experts.