How and when to see the beaver supermoon – the biggest full moon of th

The biggest supermoon of the year will be visible in skies for multiple days next week. 

The first full moon of November is known as the beaver moon, and this year, it is also the second of three consecutive supermoons.

Here is all you need to know, from how best to see it to why it happens in the first place.

What is a supermoon?

Supermoons are essentially full moons that appear bigger and brighter than normal.

They occur because the moon doesn’t orbit Earth on a perfectly circular path.

Moving in an oval around the planet, the moon’s closest point to the Earth is called the perigee and the furthest is called the apogee.

It just so happens that next week’s beaver moon will occur at or near the perigee – which is why it will look larger and brighter to us on Earth.

Professor Sara Russell, a researcher at London’s Natural History Museum, told Sky News this is expected to be this year’s “biggest” supermoon of all, after last month’s harvest moon, and ahead of next month’s cold moon.

Why is it called a beaver moon?

There is a slight disagreement over the origin of the name beaver moon, according to the Royal Greenwich Museum.

On the one hand, it may date back to Native Americans setting beaver traps during November.

While others say it comes from the activity of actual beavers building their winter dams.

What is the best time to see the beaver moon?

The beaver supermoon will technically reach its full moon phase at 1.19pm on Wednesday 5 November.

A full moon in the middle of the afternoon may sound strange, but astronomers predict the phases of the moon on its orbital positions, not its visibility.

But do not fear, the beaver supermoon will truly come to life for us on Earth as the…