It’s already a good month for sky watchers Meteor shower trio and the return of the winter constellations to the Northern Hemisphere. Tonight is also the second of these four supermoons one after the other. This month’s supermoon falls on November 4th and 5th, and November’s Beaver Moon is special because it will be the brightest full moon of 2025.
November’s full moon is not only a supermoon, but is also called the Beaver Moon. There is some debate as to why it was called that. Some believe that this was once the best time of year to set beaver traps and obtain skins for winter clothing. Others believe it coincides with the busiest time of year for beavers, who are now filling their cabins with supplies for the coming winter.
Here’s when it will look bigger and brighter, and what else you need to know about November’s supermoon.
The brightest supermoon: when is the best time to see it?
The moon will peak at 8:19 a.m. ET on November 5, making the evening of November 4 and the morning of November 5 the best times to see the moon.
Because the phases of the moon change slowly, the moon appears almost full for almost a week. If you can’t see the full moon on its best night due to weather or other reasons, you can still see it primarily from November 3rd to 8th.
All these days in 2025, the moon will be noticeably brighter in the night sky than any other full moon. The reason is the moon’s elliptical orbit. Because it’s not a perfect circle, the moon’s 27.3-day trip around Earth brings the moon closer to us on certain days, a phenomenon called perigee. If there’s a full moon at this time, it’s called a “perigee full moon,” which you might know better as a supermoon.
Not all supermoons are the same and November will be a little more special than others. That’s why The Farmer’s AlmanacThe Beaver Moon will be nearly 220,000 miles from Earth, making it the closest full moon of the year. That means it will be the biggest and brightest of the year.
In practice, the differences are quite small and probably invisible to the naked eye compared to other supermoons. A supermoon is only 7% larger than a normal full moon. After to NASAThe biggest difference occurs when comparing a supermoon to a micromoon, where a supermoon is about 14% larger and 30% brighter. So if you notice that your backyard patio is brighter than normal, it’s because of the supermoon.
Because of the moon’s orbit, there will also be a new micromoon in November, which means the moon will be as far away from Earth as possible, a phenomenon known as an apogee. November’s new moon falls on November 20, but you can’t see it.