Tonight’s full Beaver Moon is special for a few reasons

Tonight’s full moon, known as the “Beaver Moon,” is the last “Super Moon” we will see until late 2025.

“Super Moon” is the name given to the Moon whose closest part of its orbit to the Earth is full. According to CBS News, The Moon’s distance from Earth is typically between 221,457 – 252-712 miles. It will be approximately 224,385 miles from Earth during tonight’s Supermoon.

At its closest points, a supermoon can appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than the faintest moon of the year, which occurs when it is farthest from Earth in its orbit, NASA said. Tonight’s moon will appear 6.2% larger and 12.8% brighter than the average full moon in 2024.

Friday’s moon will reach its official full moon on Friday, November 15 at 4:29 PM EST (3:29 PM CST) but will remain full until Saturday. The full moon in November is the last of four consecutive supermoons in 2024, following the Blue Moon in August, the Harvest Moon in September, and the Harvest Moon in October. This is the last supermoon until October 7, 2025, followed by two more supermoons on November 5 and December 4, 2025.

Beaver Bear

According to the Farmers’ Almanac, The Beaver Bear gets its name from the period when beavers sheltered in their huts, storing enough food for the long winter ahead. This was also the first season that North American fur traders set traps for winter-ready pelts.

Other names for November are the Digging or Scratching Moon, the Rutting Stag Moon, the Whitefish Moon, the Frost Moon, and the Freezing Moon.