Full cold moon, meteor shower to arrive near the winter solstice in 2018

December's full moon, the cold moon, will arrive this weekend, right around the time of the winter solstice.

It's fitting that it falls near winter solstice this year, as its other nickname is "the long night's moon." Both nicknames originate from Native American traditions, according to AccuWeather.

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The moon will be at its fullest on Dec. 22, according to the Farmer's Almanac. This means we'll also get a moon that is nearly full on Christmas and Christmas Eve this year.

The moon will be something special to watch as it rises on Saturday. An optical illusion will make it appear much larger than it should look from this distance.

The cold moon will also coincide with the annual Ursids meteor shower, which brings about five meteors per hour. Because of the moon's light, the conditions will not be ideal for viewing the meteor shower, AccuWeather explained.

Winter solstice arrives on Friday at 5:23 p.m. ET.