The final supermoon of 2024 is set to light up the night sky this week, offering a spectacular celestial display for skywatchers around the world, the Washington Post reports.
Known as the “Beaver Moon,” this supermoon will reach its peak illumination on Friday, November 15, at 4:29 p.m. Eastern Time, according to NASA. The beaver moon marks the last of the year’s four supermoons, following the previous ones in August, September, and October.
A supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with the moon’s closest point to Earth in its orbit, a phase known as perigee. At perigee, the moon is about 226,000 miles away from Earth, though this distance can vary slightly due to the elliptical shape of its orbit. When a full moon occurs within 90 percent of perigee, it qualifies as a supermoon. As a result, the moon will appear approximately 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than a typical full moon.
“The supermoon looks most impressive at moonrise, which will happen around sunset,” explained experts at the Museum of Science in Boston.
The best time to view the supermoon is during this period when it first rises above the horizon, casting a larger-than-life glow in the evening sky.
While the exact origins of the name “Beaver Moon” are somewhat unclear, it is traditionally associated with the time of year when Native American tribes would set traps for beavers before the winter freeze. Beavers also become more active during November as they work to build dams and prepare for the colder months ahead. The Maine Farmers’ Almanac popularized the use of Native American names for full moons in the 1930s, and the “Beaver Moon” has since become a well-established term for November’s full moon.
This supermoon will appear full for several days, starting hours before sunrise on Thursday, November 14, and lasting until a few hours before sunrise on Sunday, November 17. While peak illumination is set for Friday afternoon, the moon will remain visible and stunning across multiple time zones.
For viewers around the globe, the supermoon will offer different viewing times based on location. Those in New Zealand will get an early look at the phenomenon on Saturday, November 16, while residents in London can catch the show at 9:29 p.m. local time on Friday, November 15.
As the final supermoon of the year, this event will offer a unique opportunity to witness the moon at its most impressive. Supermoons always occur consecutively, about 29.5 days apart, and are a spectacular reminder of the moon’s cyclical dance around Earth.
