What is the Beaver supermoon and how can you see it this Bonfire Night?

People preparing to look to the skies for fireworks this Bonfire Night might want to look up a little earlier.

Tonight’s full moon is set to be a special one – a Beaver supermoon.

It is the second of three consecutive supermoons this year, after Hunter’s moon in October and Cold moon ,which is expected in December.

But what is a Beaver supermoon and how can you see it?

What is a supermoon?

Supermoons occur when a full moon is closest to the Earth in its orbit, meaning it appears larger and brighter than other full moons.

This is because the moon’s orbit around the Earth is not perfectly circular.

As it completes its 27-day cycle around the Earth in a more oval shape, there is a point where the moon is closest to the Earth, known as the perigee.

This is called a supermoon because it looks bigger in size compared to other full moons. When the moon is furthest away that is known as the apogee.

The Earth usually sees one full moon a month, at stage five of the lunar cycle. However, as the calendar months are longer, it is possible to see multiple full moons in a month. This is called a blue moon.

The Beaver moon is the third consecutive supermoon this year. / Credit: PA

What is a Beaver moon?

Each month’s full moon has a name. For example, March has the Worm moon and June has the Strawberry moon.

November’s full moon is called the Beaver moon, making this one a Beaver supermoon.

The Royal Greenwich Museum says there is speculation about the origin of the name, but it may be due to November being the time of year when beavers are busy building their dams for winter.

Mild temperatures are expected this Bonfire Night / Credit: PA

When can you see it?

The Beaver moon will be visible in the UK at 1.19pm on Wednesday, November 5.

However, keen moon-gazers are warned that the weather across much of the UK is expected to be cloudy, so it might be difficult to catch a glimpse of it.

If you live in the west or northern parts of the UK, you might want to bring an umbrella to the fireworks tonight as there will be heavy rainfall according to the Met Office, but no yellow weather warnings in place.

You won’t need to wrap up warm though as it is expected to be quite a mild Bonfire Night at approximately 17°C.