November Supermoon 2025: Here's how to see the Beaver Full Moon and how it got its name
November’s full moon will be well worth looking out for.
It's a sight that has inspired myths, superstitions and awe through the centuries - when the night sky is lit up by the seemingly-perfect glowing sphere of a full moon.
We experience one full moon every month, with each one given a different evocative name.
Here's how to see the eleventh one of 2025 - the Beaver Moon, which has the added bonus of being a Supermoon.
What is a full moon?
A full moon is when moon appears as a complete circle in the sky. The moon produces no light of its own, so this only happens when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth to the Sun - meaning the whole of the near side of the moon is fully lit up.
When is the Beaver Moon in 2025?
The next full moon or ‘Beaver Moon’ will reach its peak at 1.19pm on Wednesday, October . This time only applies to the UK however as when the full moon rises and sets depends on where you are on the planet. It’ll obviously still be light when it’s at its peak but you'll still be able to see it during the night, when it will be almost imperceptibly less full.
Why is it called the Beaver Moon?
Like many of the names we give to the full moons, the Beaver Moon has its origins on the the other side of the Atlantic, being used by Native Americans. There are two different theories as to why the name was chosen, with some thinking it’s becaue November is the time that beavers would be caught in traps by the Native Americans keen to stock up on meat for the long winter months to come. Others think it’s because November is when the mammals construct their winter dams.
The November full moon is also known as the Frost Moon, due to the increasingly cold conditions prevalent in the Northern Hemisphere.
Why do full moons have different names?
Full moon names are often attributed to Native American tribes that would give full moons nicknames to keep track of them as they didn’t record time using months found in the Julian or Gregorian calendar. Most of the names were linked to a specific event, for example this wolf moon is associated with the presence of howling wolves nearby their camps at this time.
Other moons like the blood moon were thought to be caused by Jaguars who attacked the moon and left it bleeding hence the red colour. These lunar systems and their names differed between tribes but it seems Colonial Americans adopted some of these names and incorporated them into their own calendar systems - their use then spread to other countries, including the United Kingdom.
What is a Supermoon?
A Supermoon is a phenomenon that occurs when the full moon or new moon coincides with the moon's closest approach to Earth in its orbit, known as perigee. Because the moon is closer to Earth during this time, it appears larger and brighter than usual, hence the name. It means that the moon appears up to 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than when it’s at its furthest from Earth.
This year we have a rare occurance in that the last three full moons of the year are all Supermoons - the Hunter Moon, the Beaver Moon and the Cold Moon.
What are the names of the other full moons?
Here’s a full list of all the full moons in 2025 - and their names:
- January 13 - ‘Wolf Moon’
- February 12 - ‘Snow Moon’
- March 14 - ‘Worm Moon’
- April 13 - ‘Pink Moon’
- May 12 - ‘Flower Moon’
- June 11 - ‘Strawberry Moon’
- July 10 - ‘Buck Moon’
- August 9 - ‘Sturgeon Moon’
- September 7 - ‘Harvest Moon’
- October 7 - ‘Hunter’s Moon’ (also a Supermoon)
- November 5 - ‘Beaver Moon’ (also a Supermoon)
- December 4 - ‘Cold Moon’ (also a Supermoon)
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