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5th November 2025
04:35pm GMT
Tonight (Wednesday, 5 November), the Beaver supermoon is set to grace our skies for Bonfire Night.
The Beaver supermoon will be strongest between Tuesday and Thursday, with it due to shine up to 30% brighter than usual.
Although the supermoon technically peaked at 1.19pm today, the best time to see it should be this evening.
However, you may struggle with the weather.
It has been very mild for early November, and these mild temperatures have brought a lot of cloud and rain.
In Scotland and Northern Ireland, Wednesday evening is due to be cloudy with rain at time, so you may have little chance of seeing the lunar sight.
In England and Wales, you may have more chance, with cloud due to be more variable.
So, if you are looking to get a glimpse of 2025's brightest moon, you may have to be persistent!
November’s full Moon is called the Beaver moon, probably because beavers are particularly active at this time of year as they prepare for the winter months ahead.
However, another interpretation is that Native American tribes would set beaver traps before the swamps froze, ensuring a supply of warm winter furs.
The Moon’s orbit around the Earth is not a perfect circle – in fact it is elliptical, meaning its distance from Earth at any given time will vary.
The Moon’s furthest point from the Earth is known as apogee and when it is at its closest we call it perigee.
When the full moon, which happens every 29.5 days coincides with the moon’s perigee, it appears bigger and brighter than usual which is why we call it a supermoon.
These are not exactly a rare occurrence, they happen approximately three or four times a year.
This November's Beaver moon marks the second supermoon of 2025, with a third to come before the New Year.