Savour the view!
Tonight will be the last opportunity to see a supermoon in the UK this year.
The full Beaver Moon rose at approximately 15.30 GMT and marks the end of a run of four consecutive supermoons.
It will not be quite as bright as last month’s Hunter’s supermoon but should still provide an impressive spectacle for sky gazers.
Though cloudy weather will obscure it in some parts of the UK, for others it will be the final chance this year to see the phenomenon.
Full Moons throughout the year are given names that reflect what is happening in nature.
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 year we had the Blue moon in August, the Harvest moon in September and the Hunter’s moon in October, however the Beaver moon will not be as bright.
It will be almost 14,000 miles (roughly 23,000km) closer to Earth than normal, with astronomers saying it will look around 14% larger and 30% brighter than usual – although it may be hard to tell the difference with the naked eye.
The next supermoon will not occur until October 2025 so you don’t want to miss tonight’s!
