Despite its brightness, the moon itself does not emit light, but reflects the sun’s rays. Full moons sit opposite the sun and form a line in the sky, with Earth in the center and the sun on the other side. When this moon points directly towards the Earth and shows its fully illuminated hemisphere, it is said to be full.

While the full moon moves across the night sky in a shortened, flatter arc in spring (unlike the sun’s long, lofty path), in fall you can look forward to it crossing the firmament high overhead. It will be easy to see unless the sky is completely covered with clouds. This Beaver supermoon will appear almost 15 percent brighter than a typical full moon. This is despite the fact that the moon’s surface is not very reflective at all. It looks more like asphalt than snow!

Unless the Harvest Moon happens in October, with the Hunter’s Moon falling in early November (it happens occasionally because these two moon titles are determined by their proximity to the autumnal equinox), November’s moon is called the Beaver Moon. This popular nickname, like Hunter’s, Harvest, Sturgeon, and many other moon names, is linked to Native and colonial American and European folklore.

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, beavers settle into their huts around this time of year and live off the food supplies they have gathered for the coming winter. It is also said that the name may have originated from the early fur trade, when trappers hunted the large, semi-aquatic rodents in November for their thick fur.

However, there are quite a few other traditional labels for November’s moon. (Traditionally, moon names were applied to any phase of the lunar month, not just the full moon.) Some Native Americans preferred to name this moon because of the season’s increasing cold weather. The Anishinaabe, native to the Great Lakes region of North America, called it the Freezing Moon, while to the Cree and Assiniboine peoples it was the Frost Moon.

November’s moon was called the Whitefish Moon in Algonquin culture because it was around this time of year that whitefish spawned. It is also known by the Tlingit name Digging (or Scratching) Moon, which may be related to forest critters searching for food before winter, and the Deer Rutting Moon, in honor of amorous deer that mate in late fall to search.

If you want to see the Beaver Full Moon at its peak, head out on Friday the 15th at 4:29 PM EST. At that time it will reach its full enlightenment. Only those who live far enough east within the Eastern time zone will be able to capture the fleeting moment. Elsewhere in the US, the moon will still be below the horizon. However, the moon will appear perfectly round throughout the evening. In our eyes it will also look full on Saturday the 14th and Saturday the 16th.

Look for the Beaver Full Moon to rise in the east as the sun sets in the west, sitting over the southern sky around midnight before dropping low on the western horizon as the sun rises again. Both Jupiter and Aldebaran, the flaming eye of Taurus the Bull, will also perch nearby. Uranus will also follow the moon, although it will not be visible without a telescope.

A week later, on November 22 at 8:27 PM EST, the moon will enter its last quarter. Also called third quarter, it will appear as if it is half illuminated from Earth, although in reality what we will see is half the crescent illuminated by the Sun or half the ‘day side’. Unlike a full moon, a third quarter moon rises around midnight and sets around noon.

Because the full moon is so bright, it can be difficult to see its surface features with the naked eye. If you’re interested in getting a good look at the moon’s topography, consider looking at the moon in the evening just before or after the full moon. If you have a telescope, you can also reduce the moon’s glare and enhance crater details with a special filter. Curious about the exact Beaver Full Moon moonrise or moonset in your neck of the woods? View the handy calculator of the Farmers’ Almanac.

Because the moon follows an elliptical orbit around the Earth, there are times when it comes closer to our planet. According to NASA, a supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to Earth, a point called perigee. When the full moon is at perigee, it is about 360,000 kilometers from Earth and can to 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than a moon at its zenith. That is the moment when the moon is at its furthest point from Earth, about 250,000 miles away.

Some supermoons come closer to Earth than others. For example, last month’s Hunter’s Supermoon was the closest full moon of 2024 and was only 220,056 miles away from us! In contrast, the Beaver Supermoon will be a little further away, at 264,854 miles. That’s because the full moon doesn’t have to be exactly at perigee to be a supermoon; it just needs to be within a certain window.

Although supermoon is not an official astronomical term, but NASA notes that it is used to describe a full moon that falls within at least 90 percent of perigee. This always happens in groups of three or four consecutive months. A supermoon not only gives us a beautiful view of the world’s only natural satellite, but it can also cause higher than average tides due to increased gravity on Earth.

The year’s series of full supermoons, which began with August’s rare Blue Supermoon, ends this month. The next supermoon won’t rise until October 2025, so this could be your last chance for a while to take advantage of a wonderful night for a (super) moondance!

Jill Gleeson is a travel journalist and memoirist based in the Appalachian Mountains of western Pennsylvania and has written for websites and publications including Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Country Living, Washingtonian, Gothamist, Canadian Traveler and EDGE Media Network. Jill is the travel editor for Enchanted Living. Read more about her journey at gleesonreboots.com.