JACKSON, Wyo. — The biggest supermoon of the year is about to rise over Jackson.
November’s full moon will reach peak fullness at 6:19 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 5, marking the second of three consecutive supermoons. The waxing moon has appeared big and bright in the sky for the past few nights, providing dramatic views as it has risen around sunset.
To qualify as a supermoon, a new or full moon must occur within 90% of the moon’s closest approach to the Earth along its elliptical orbit, according to NASA.
“If you’re only going to see a full moon once this year, this is the one to see,” Forbes published over the weekend. “The beaver moon will be 100%-lit just nine hours after its perigee at 8:20 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Nov. 5. Take a look at it as it appears in the east during dusk that evening, for sure, and you’ll appreciate its size. However, know that a full moon typically looks its best when it appears about 30 minutes after the sun goes down. That happens the following evening, on Thursday, Nov. 6.”
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, November’s full moon is known as the Beaver Moon because “this is the time of year when beavers begin to take shelter in their lodges, having laid up sufficient food stores for the long winter ahead. During the fur trade in North America, it was also the season to trap beavers for their thick, winter-ready pelts.”
The Hinono-eino (Arapaho) call the November full moon, “when the rivers start to freeze.” The Nakodabi (Assiniboine) call it “cuhotgawi,” meaning, “frost moon.” The Ani’-Yun’wiya (Cherokee) call it “nvdadegwa,” meaning, “trading moon.” The Numunuu tribe (Comanche) call it the “yubaubi mua,” meaning, “heading to winter moon,” and the Wishram tribe (Tlakluit) call it “the snowy mountain in the morning moon.”
Other monikers noted in the Old Farmer’s Almanac include the “digging/scratching moon” (Tlingit), referring to animals foraging for fallen nuts or buried foliage, as well as bears digging their winter dens, and the “deer rutting moon” (Dakota and Lakota).
December’s “Cold moon” is up next, expected to reach peak fullness on Dec. 4.
