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Tips for catching this weekend’s Beaver supermoon
A supermoon over Vanderbilt University's West End Tower in Nashville, Tenn., in August 2023.
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Patrick T. Fallon
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AFP via Getty Images
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Topline:
The Beaver supermoon is reaching its peak this weekend, converging with other events like a meteor shower and a major lunar standstill — though you may need binoculars or a telescope to see some of them.
What’s in the sky: The moon will appear next to the Pleiades in the sky, though you may need binoculars to see them since they’re competing with the brightness of the full supermoon (not to mention light pollution). The same goes for the Leonid meteor shower, which will hit its peak on Sunday morning, but be less impressive than usual due to the extra light from the full moon.
Why’s it called a beaver moon?: The common names in the United States for full moons, including the Beaver Moon and October’s Harvest Moon, came from a 1930s Maine Farmer’s Almanac article that claimed the names were Native American in origin. This has not been verified, and tribes across the continent have many different names for moons throughout the year.
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Wait, what even is a supermoon?: “Supermoon” isn’t a technical term used by astronomers, though it commonly refers to the times when the full moon is closer to Earth and appears bigger in our skies. This time around, the moon appears about 14% bigger than normal.
What else is up with the moon?: This supermoon also coincides with the major lunar standstill, according to Vanessa Alarcon, astronomical observer at the Griffith Observatory. This means that the moon rises and sets at its most northern and southern extremes. You may have noticed this already: The lunar standstill started in June 2024 and will last well into next year.
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