If you look up tonight, you’ll see something special — the Beaver Supermoon, the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. The November full moon, also known as the Frost Moon, will reach its peak early Wednesday morning (Nov. 5) and will appear nearly full all night long.
This isn’t just any full moon. It’s a supermoon, meaning the moon will be at its closest point to Earth — or perigee — at about 5:30 p.m. EST, only 221,726 miles (356,833 km) away. Because of that proximity, it will appear roughly 6 percent larger and 16 percent brighter than an average full moon, though the difference is subtle to the naked eye.
Still, for anyone with a clear view of the sky, tonight’s moon will look impressive, especially near the horizon where the so-called moon illusion makes it appear even bigger.
And if you can’t get outside or your sky is covered in clouds, you don’t have to miss it. Italian astrophysicist Gianluca Masi and his Virtual Telescope Project are hosting a free livestream of the event beginning at 8 p.m. local time (2 p.m. EST).
Why This One Matters
Tonight’s supermoon is the closest and brightest of 2025, and the second in a run of three consecutive full supermoons this year. According to London’s Natural History Museum planetary scientist Sara Russell, this is the most impressive of the bunch — “the closest supermoon of the year.”
Supermoons happen because the moon’s orbit isn’t a perfect circle. When a full moon coincides with its closest approach to Earth, the result is a slightly larger, brighter disk in the sky. The term supermoon has only been around since 1979, when astrologer Richard Nolle coined it to describe a new or full moon occurring within 10 percent of its perigee.
Since then, the name has stuck — and so has the debate around it. Some astronomers argue that a supermoon is a media creation rather than a true scientific category. But even they admit it’s a reliable excuse to get people looking up.
“A supermoon might not look dramatically bigger,” notes Lawrence Wasserman of Lowell Observatory, “but you’ll notice the extra brightness — and maybe higher tides.”
NASA adds that a supermoon appears about 7 percent larger and 14–16 percent brighter than an average full moon, depending on where you view it from. That difference is most visible when it’s low on the horizon, though the “wow” factor there is partly an optical illusion.
The story behind the name
The November full moon’s nickname — the Beaver Moon — dates back centuries. The term came from the time when beavers began preparing their lodges for winter, and trappers used the bright moonlight to set their last fur traps before the rivers froze.
The name also appears in Indigenous American moon traditions, which vary regionally. As scholars Arlene Hirschfelder and Martha Kreipe de Montaño explained in The Native American Almanac, these lunar names reflected seasonal shifts in nature — from animal activity to plant growth. Other traditional November names include the Digging Moon, Deer Rutting Moon, and Whitefish Moon, depending on the region.
What you’ll see tonight
The full moon officially peaks at 8:19 a.m. EST (13:19 GMT) Wednesday, though it will look full Tuesday night and again Wednesday night. The best time to step outside is around moonrise, when the glowing disk hovers low on the horizon, glowing amber against the fading twilight.
If you want to take a closer look, you don’t need fancy equipment — even a pair of binoculars can reveal the moon’s craters and ridges in sharper detail. For those who like to photograph sky events, this is an ideal chance. The Virtual Telescope Project will share high-resolution imagery from Italy, but you can capture your own by using a telephoto lens or smartphone adapter.
Supermoons are subtle, yes — but they’re also a reminder of how dynamic and precise our solar system really is. The moon’s changing distance, the tilt of its orbit, the rhythm of its light — all of it plays out quietly above us every night.
So whether you’re streaming it from home or stepping outside into the cool November air, take a few minutes to look up. The Beaver Supermoon won’t make the world stop spinning, but for one night, it might just make it feel a little brighter.