November’s full moon is the last supermoon you’ll see for a long time

On November 16, 2024By Littum

November’s full moon will be something special. Not only is it a supermoon, meaning Earth’s lunar satellite will be slightly brighter and closer to us, but it’s the last supermoon we’ll see for a long time.

Friday’s beaver moon will rise in Louisville beginning around 17.00 before it goes down on Saturday morning. It’s the last of four back-to-back supermoons, which started with August’s Blue Moon, September’s Harvest Moon and a Super Hunter Moon in October.

Here’s what Kentuckians should know about this and other astronomical events happening in November.

When is the full moon in November 2024?

Friday, November 15 is when the Beaver Moon, a name derived from Native American, European and colonial sourcesshould reach maximum illumination, according to NASA. The phases of the moon this month are:

New moon: Nov. 1
First quarter: Nov. 9
Full moon: 15 Nov
Last quarter: 23 Nov

What time is the full moon in Louisville, KY?

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, moonrise for the Louisville area will occur around 17:08 on Friday, November 15, before it is set at 7:10 Saturday.

You can check both moonrise and moonset times for your zip code by visiting the old farmer’s almanac online.

The story continues after the gallery.

Will the skies clear in Louisville tonight under the full moon? The NWS weather radar forecast says…

You may need to travel if you want to see the full moon because things are looking cold and cloudy, according to National Weather Service in Louisville. Here is the latest weather forecast from Friday:

Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56. Northwest wind around 7 mph.
Friday evening: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 62. Calm wind becoming southeast 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.

Why is it called Beaver Moon?

Beaver Moon takes its name from early Native American tribes as well as American colonists, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, when beavers begin to seek shelter in their cabins after gathering enough food to last the winter. Fur trappers, the almanac said, also used this time to hunt beavers for their pelts.

Other names for November’s full moon from Native American tribes include Whitefish Moon, Frost Moon, and Deer Rutting Moon.

What makes a supermoon so ‘super’?

The “super” in supermoon often has more to do with its proximity to Earth and less, some say, than what it looks like in size.

Supermoons can appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than the faintest moon of the year. Visually, it may not leave much of an impression, but the proximity of a supermoon has an effect on Earth, causing higher than normal tides.

How close will November’s supermoon be to Earth?

Pretty close, at least by lunar standards. On Friday, the moon will be 224,385 miles away from our planet, according to NASAmaking it a supermoon.

Why the distance between the moon and the earth changes over time

The Moon’s orbit around the Earth is not a perfect circle, writes NASA. It varies in distance, from about 221,457 miles to 252,712 miles away. It is because of the constant gravitational force between the moon, earth and sun.

When is the next supermoon?

Not for a while. The next supermoon will happen in October 2025. Next month, December 2024’s full moon will be fainter and further away by about 6,000 miles.

How many supermoons will 2025 have?

Supermoons only occur about three or four times a year. There will be three supermoons in 2025:

7 October 2025
5 November 2025
December 4, 2025

Sometimes the moon looks red or orange. Here’s why

During a partial lunar eclipse, the moon passes through only part of the earth’s shadow, or umbra, and enters into imperfect alignment with the sun and earth. As it does, the moon appears to darken.

So why does it look red? According to NASAit’s because of how sunlight hits the moon’s surface after passing through our atmosphere.

Colors with shorter wavelengths, such as blues and violets, scatter more easily than colors with longer wavelengths, which include red and orange. The more dust or clouds in Earth’s atmosphere during a lunar eclipse, the redder the moon appears.

More astronomical events in November 2024, according to NASA

If you plan to observe the night sky this month, writes NASAremember the following dates for October 2024:

The whole month – Planet visibility report: Saturn shines in the south most of the night, Jupiter rises in the early evening with Taurus and Orion, while Mars follows a few hours later, visible high in the early morning sky.
27 November – Lunar occultation of Spica. Early risers in the eastern US and Canada may catch the Moon passing in front of Spica this morning, briefly obscuring the bright star.

When is the next full moon in December 2024?

Beaver Moon should reach its peak light by Sunday, December 15, 2024.

John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at [email protected]. Find him on BlueSky on JohnWritesStuff.