November Full Moon: Largest Supermoon of 2025 to Rise This Week
On 5 November, Sarah Keith-Lucas and Simon King explain why this full Moon will be the biggest and brightest of the year.
Tonight's night sky will feature more than just fireworks. The largest and brightest Moon of the year—the full Beaver supermoon—will also be visible. It will rise at 15:55 GMT on Wednesday evening and is the second of three supermoons this year.
However, due to the extensive cloud cover forecast across the United Kingdom, you might have a better chance of seeing the fireworks than the Moon.
Why the Moon Appears Larger
The Moon's orbit around the Earth is not a perfect circle but an elliptical, egg-shaped path. Because of this, the distance from Earth varies.
- At its closest point, known as perigee, the Moon is about 220,000 miles from Earth.
- At its furthest point, called apogee, it is around 250,000 miles away.
A full Moon occurring near perigee, within 90% of that closest distance, is called a "supermoon."
Origin and Characteristics of the Supermoon
The term "supermoon" was first introduced in 1979 by astrologer Richard Nolle to describe full Moons that seem noticeably larger and brighter when they coincide with perigee.
Supermoons can appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full Moons.
This November’s Beaver Moon will be the closest full Moon to Earth in 2025, making it the brightest and largest of the year.
Author’s Summary
The November Beaver supermoon will be the brightest and largest in 2025, appearing noticeably bigger as it coincides with the Moon’s closest orbit to Earth.