The November full moon is a supermoon. When to see the Leonid meteor shower

On By Littum

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Tonight’s full moon will be a particularly bright and large supermoon – the last in 2024.

The Beaver Moon will be full tonight and look full for a few more days, but November skies will continue to provide this weekend as The Leonid meteor shower expected to peak Sunday evening.

Supermoons come in threes and fours, consecutively. This year it started with August and ends this weekend; the next cycle of full moons will not come again until October 2025.

Here’s everything to know about the brilliant supermoon set to rise on November 15 and the Leonid meteor shower.

When is the next full moon?

November’s full moon, the Beaver Moon, will reach its peak illumination level on Friday November 15 at 4:28 p.m Eastern. It will be below the horizon, so wait until sunset to see it rise and appear in the sky.

Similar to the October Hunter’s Moon, the Beaver Moon will rise around the same time for several nights.

New moon: Nov. 1 First quarter: Nov. 9 Full moon: 15 November Last quarter: November 22 New moon: 1 Dec

What is a beaver full moon?

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the full moon in November marks the time when some of the first snow appears in parts of the United States and Canada and when the fall foliage is gone. Signs of frost on the grass signal beavers to build their dams before the ground freezes.

The full moon in November also appears at the time when beaver pelts traditionally came to the fur trade markets.

Full moon names have long been tied to early Native American, Colonial American and European folklore, according to the Almanac.

What is a supermoon?

A supermoon occurs when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth at the same time the moon is full. According to NASA226,000 miles from Earth, the full moon appears brighter and larger than a normal full moon, hence the term supermoon.

Because supermoons are closer to Earth than normal, the illusion is that they appear larger and brighter.

Supermoons generally occur three or four times a year, always in succession. Before the Hunter’s Moon on October 17, supermoons included the Harvest Moon on September 17 and the Sturgeon Moon on August 19.

The Beaver Moon will be the fourth and final supermoon of the year.

When is the next full moon in 2024?

The cold moon peaks on December 15, 2024.

What is the Leonid meteor shower?

A meteor shower is a celestial event that occurs when Earth passes through the path of a comet, or rather the trail of debris left by the comet or asteroid during its orbit around the Sun. That debris is called meteoroids.

Meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere at high speeds and burn up, streaking the sky with sharply moving light, like a “shooting star” from what appears to be a single point in the sky, called the beam. They range in size from dust-like particles to boulder size.

These meteor showers are named after the constellation where the meteors appear to come from.

Space.com states that “From Earth’s perspective is Leonidas seems to originate from the direction of the constellation Leo in the northern hemisphere.”

When can you see the Leonid meteor shower?

Leonid meteor shower will peak in the evening of the 17th-18th. November around midnight. It’s best to go to the “darkest place possible and wait about 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark,” according to Space.com.

You don’t need a telescope or binoculars to see the meteors.