November's Beaver Moon Will Be This Year's Last Supermoon
Language
Reading Level
Listen to Article
Alignment
Full moons are always a stunning sight, but the one on November 15, 2024, promises to be even more spectacular. It will be the last of four consecutive supermoons, following August's Blue Moon, September's Harvest Moon, and October's Hunter Moon. After this, the next supermoon will not occur until October 7, 2025.
Supermoons can be as much as 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than the average full moon. They occur when the full moon coincides with the lunar perigee — the Moon's closest point to Earth in orbit. On November 15, 2024, the Moon will be about 224,853 miles (361,866 km) from Earth. This is a few thousand miles farther than the November 2016 supermoon which, at 221,524 miles (356,508 km), was the closest seen in recent history. However, it will still be breathtaking.
The distance between the Moon and Earth varies due to the Moon's elliptical orbit. This alternately brings our satellite closer to and farther from our planet. The farthest point in this orbit is known as the apogee. It places the Moon at a distance of about 253,000 miles (407,164 km) from Earth. In contrast at perigee, the Moon's distance from Earth is on average 226,000 miles (363,711 km) of Earth.
The November full moon is often called the Beaver Moon. According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, this name refers to the time of year that beavers take shelter in their lodges for the long winter ahead. During North America's fur trade era, it was also the season to trap the animals for their thick, winter-ready coats. Other names for the November full moon include the Frost Moon, the Freezing Moon, and the Digging Moon.
Some people believe that a supermoon’s proximity to Earth can cause earthquakes or tidal waves. However, scientists have found no evidence to support this claim. Instead, they encourage taking advantage of the rare opportunity to capture stunning photographs of the event — and to reflect on how fortunate we are to call this beautiful planet home.
Resources: Earthsky.org, USAtoday.com, Space.com
Get the Workbook for this article!
Workbook contains: Article, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking Questions, Vocabulary in Context (+ answers), Multiple Choice Quiz (+ answers), Parts of Speech Quiz (+ answers), Vocabulary Game (+ answers)Cite Article
Learn Keywords in this Article
51 Comments
dragonlover1112 daysNext year one will fall on my B-day!!!
bangchansgfskzs12 daysI saw the beaver moon on Saturday it was so pretty me and my friends was on my roof top listing to- jhavi2712 daysUm I guess it is cool but it is already 4 days back so no need to get excited
enigmaticreader12 daysFascinating
mine1212 daysThe book is wonderful
jiankim9812 daysI never knew this information
annau12 daysI really wanna see the super moon…..!- jiankim9812 daysThis is something I never knew!
sarthak13 daysThat's cool
yoisyo13 daysNOOO I only saw this on November 18.
