The Beaver Supermoon Will Light Up The Sky On Friday
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1 week ago
Here's what you need to know
It’s our last full moon before the winter solstice — and it’s full of seasonal connotations: stocking up, hunkering down and bedding in just as a beaver might before the cold season floods in full force. Every November, the full moon is called the Beaver Moon, but 2024’s is also a special supermoon. Here’s how to see it.
What Is The Beaver Moon?
The Beaver Moon is the nickname given to the full moon we see in November — just one of many quirky names we give our moons, akin to the Hunter’s Moon of October, the Wolf Moon of January and the Strawberry Moon of June. So why beavers for November? Because this is when the wood-loving rodents generally start to build their dams and lodges, store their food for the winter solstice and grow a thicker coat as the cold creeps in. With these wintery connotations, November’s full moon is also known as the Frost Moon.
First used to describe November’s full moon in 1778, the more morose interpretation of the Beaver Moon is that, under the large moon’s silvery glow, Native American people would set hunting traps to capture and kill beavers for food. For a similar reason, November’s full moon is also known as the Deer Rutting Moon.
When?
The next full moon will shine in the sky on Friday 15 November 2024 – and this will be the Beaver Moon.
Is It A Supermoon?
The Beaver Moon is, by definition, a full moon – but that’s not why it looks so large. The moon will look especially large this Friday because it is also a supermoon, a rare lunar phenomenon (which has ironically happened a lot in 2024) in which the moon appears larger and brighter because it is in fact a bit closer to Earth thanks to its elliptical orbit. You can read all about what that means here.
When Is The Next Full Moon?
The Beaver Moon is the penultimate full moon of the year, followed by the Cold Moon, which will rise in the sky on 15 December 2024. There is a full moon every month, and each has a special name. They are as follows:
- January: Wolf Moon
- February: Snow Moon
- March: Worm Moon
- April: Pink Moon
- May: Flower Moon
- June: Strawberry Moon
- July: Buck Moon
- August: Sturgeon Moon
- September: Harvest Moon
- October: Hunter’s Moon
- November: Beaver Moon
- December: Cold Moon
