November’s Full Beaver Moon to Shine Bright in the Night Sky
This week brings the largest supermoon of the year. Supermoons occur because the moon’s orbit is not perfectly circular around the Earth. Instead, it is an ellipse, meaning that sometimes the moon will be closer to the Earth than at other times.
When a full moon coincides with the moon being within 10% of its closest point to Earth, we call it a supermoon. Its proximity makes it appear subtly bigger and brighter than other full moons.
On 5 November 2025, the moon will be just under 357,000km from Earth, making it the nearest full moon of the year, and therefore the largest supermoon. It will appear 8% larger and about 16% brighter than average.
Why “Beaver” and Why So Super?Native American and colonial traditions dubbed November’s full moon the Beaver Moon because this is when beavers finish stocking their lodges for winter—or when trappers set their traps before rivers froze. Other indigenous names include Frost Moon, Freezing Moon, or Whitefish Moon. This year, it’s also the second in a trio of consecutive supermoons (October’s Harvest, November’s Beaver, December’s Cold).
A supermoon happens when a full moon coincides with perigee—the moon’s closest orbital point to Earth. On November 5, perigee falls just hours after peak fullness at 13:19 UTC (8:19 a.m. EST / 1:19 p.m. GMT), creating the tightest alignment of 2025. The last time we saw a full moon this close? February 2019.
When & Where to LookThe moon technically peaks in daylight for most of the Americas and Europe, so sunset on Wednesday, November 5 is prime time. Look east as twilight deepens—the moon will rise golden-orange and enormous against the horizon.
Step outside tonight, tilt your chin, and let 4.5 billion years of lunar clockwork wash over you. No telescope, no app, no filter needed—just you and the biggest, brightest Beaver Moon of our lifetime.Clear skies, friends.
Native American Names for November Full Moon Itartoryuk Moon (Inuit). Tree Moon (Neo-Pagan). Poverty Moon (Mohawk). Trading Moon (Cherokee). Geese Going Moon (Kiowa). Falling Leaves moon (Sioux). Fledgling Raptor Moon (Hopi). Deer Ruting Moon (Cheyenne). Freezing River Moon(Arapaho). Snow Moon (Mediaeval English). Mourning Moon : Full, Dead : Dark (Janic). Corn Harvest Moon (Taos Native American). Snowy Morning Mountains Moon (Wishram). All Gathered Moon (San Juan Native American). Beaver Moon, Frosty Moon (Algonquin Native American/Colonia).
Other moon names : Fog Moon, Deer Antler Shedding moon, Oak moon, Mad moon, Storm moon, Dark moon.
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When a full moon coincides with the moon being within 10% of its closest point to Earth, we call it a supermoon. Its proximity makes it appear subtly bigger and brighter than other full moons.
On 5 November 2025, the moon will be just under 357,000km from Earth, making it the nearest full moon of the year, and therefore the largest supermoon. It will appear 8% larger and about 16% brighter than average.
Why “Beaver” and Why So Super?Native American and colonial traditions dubbed November’s full moon the Beaver Moon because this is when beavers finish stocking their lodges for winter—or when trappers set their traps before rivers froze. Other indigenous names include Frost Moon, Freezing Moon, or Whitefish Moon. This year, it’s also the second in a trio of consecutive supermoons (October’s Harvest, November’s Beaver, December’s Cold).
A supermoon happens when a full moon coincides with perigee—the moon’s closest orbital point to Earth. On November 5, perigee falls just hours after peak fullness at 13:19 UTC (8:19 a.m. EST / 1:19 p.m. GMT), creating the tightest alignment of 2025. The last time we saw a full moon this close? February 2019.
When & Where to LookThe moon technically peaks in daylight for most of the Americas and Europe, so sunset on Wednesday, November 5 is prime time. Look east as twilight deepens—the moon will rise golden-orange and enormous against the horizon.
Native American Names for November Full Moon Itartoryuk Moon (Inuit). Tree Moon (Neo-Pagan). Poverty Moon (Mohawk). Trading Moon (Cherokee). Geese Going Moon (Kiowa). Falling Leaves moon (Sioux). Fledgling Raptor Moon (Hopi). Deer Ruting Moon (Cheyenne). Freezing River Moon(Arapaho). Snow Moon (Mediaeval English). Mourning Moon : Full, Dead : Dark (Janic). Corn Harvest Moon (Taos Native American). Snowy Morning Mountains Moon (Wishram). All Gathered Moon (San Juan Native American). Beaver Moon, Frosty Moon (Algonquin Native American/Colonia).
Other moon names : Fog Moon, Deer Antler Shedding moon, Oak moon, Mad moon, Storm moon, Dark moon.
VIDEO
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