Known as the beaver moon, November 2024's full moon is also a supermoon, meaning it will appear slightly bigger and brighter than the usual full moon.
Though officially full on Friday, November 15, at 4:29 p.m. EST, the moon will also look plenty full and bright all night both Thursday and Saturday as it rises in the east around sunset, climbs highest around midnight and then sets in the west at or near sunrise, EarthSky reports.
That means many skywatchers will be able to enjoy one final, spectacular full moon this week under temperate skies before winter's chill sets in for the next few months' viewings.
It's the last of four consecutive supermoons occurring in 2024, according to Space.com, following August's blue moon, September's harvest moon and October's hunter's moon.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac, a reference book published since the 18th century, names the different full moons from names used by Native American, colonial American and European sources, so their meanings derive from characteristics of the Northern Hemisphere.
In November, the beaver moon was so-named because it marks the time when beavers are preparing their homes for winter, and also because it was the best time to set beaver traps before water started freezing.
Indeed, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the November moon was named the beaver moon partly because “for both the colonists and the Algonquin tribes, this was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs.”
This month's full moon will also be a supermoon: When the moon’s orbit brings it closer to Earth than usual, the cosmic combo is called a supermoon. A supermoon occurs when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth at the same time the moon is full.
This happens when the full moon falls at perigee – its closest point to Earth in its orbit. Perigee is when the moon is 224,895 miles from Earth and appears bigger and brighter than a normal full moon.
When the moon reaches apogee, it’s at its farthest from Earth, a distance of 252,595 miles. If a full moon occurs while the moon is at apogee, it is called a micromoon.
The next full moon of the year, named the cold moon, will peak on Dec. 15, 2024. The December full moon is known as the cold moon because it is the time of the year when it starts getting cold outside.
Supermoons only occur about three or four times a year. There will be three supermoons in 2025:
Contributing: Emily Barnes, New York Connect Team; Jordan Green, Memphis Commercial Appeal
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