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November 2024 Full moon is a super moon and the beaver moon

Vaseline November 12, 2024

The November 2024 full moon is known as the Beaver Moon and is also a supermoon, meaning it will appear slightly bigger and brighter than the usual full moon.

Although the moon will officially be full on Friday, November 15 at 4:29 PM EST, the moon will also look full and bright all night 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 sky watchers can enjoy one last, spectacular full moon under temperate skies this week, before the winter chill sets in for viewing days in the coming months.

According to Space.com, it is the last of four consecutive supermoons to occur in 2024, following August’s Blue Moon, September’s Harvest Moon, and October’s Hunter’s Moon.

Why is November’s full moon called a beaver moon?

The Old Farmer’s Almanac, a reference work published since the 18th century, names the various full moons based on names used by Native American, colonial American, and European sources, so that their meanings draw from features of the Northern Hemisphere.

In November, the beaver moon was so named because it marks the time when beavers prepare their homes for winter, and also because this was the best time to set beaver traps before the water started to freeze.

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, November’s moon was called the Beaver Moon, in part because “for both the settlers and the Algonquin tribes, this was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze over, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs . .”

What is a supermoon?

This month’s full moon will also be a supermoon: when the moon’s orbit brings it closer to Earth than normal, the cosmic combo is called a supermoon. A supermoon occurs when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth when the moon is full.

This happens when the full moon falls at perigee – the point closest to Earth in its orbit. Perigee is when the moon is 220,000 miles from Earth and appears larger and brighter than a normal full moon.

When the moon reaches its zenith, it is at its furthest from Earth, a distance of 250,000 miles. If a full moon occurs while the moon is at its zenith, it is called a micromoon.

When is the next full moon of 2024?

The next full moon of the year, called the Cold Moon, will peak on December 15, 2024. December’s full moon is known as the Cold Moon because it is the time of year when it starts to get cold outside.