A beaver moon, another name for a full moon in November, illuminated the sky on Nov. 15. It is the last supermoon of 2024, and the last of four consecutive supermoons this year.

A “beaver moon” is nicknamed as such because this is the time of the year when beavers start hibernation in their lodges for winter and grow thicker coats. The three previous consecutive supermoons were August’s sturgeon moon, September’s harvest moon and October’s hunter’s moon.

During the moon’s 29.5-day elliptical orbit, the moon will reach its closest point to Earth at 363,300 km, its perigee, and its farthest point from Earth at 405,500 km, the apogee. According to NASA, a supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with and is within at least 90 degrees of perigee. In contrast, a moon at apogee is a micromoon.

Supermoons appear consecutively and occur 3-4 times a year. Since the moon’s orbit differs and depends on the sun’s and Earth’s locations, the exact distance varies. Throughout most of Earth’s orbit, the full moon and the perigee do not overlap.

The supermoon appears 14% larger in diameter and 30% brighter than a faint full moon during the apogee, although it is hard to notice the difference from Earth. The difference in size from the perspective of a human on Earth is comparable to the size of a nickel and the size of a quarter. The moon’s surface illumination is the same, but the inverse square law of light dictates that the light received on Earth is inverse to its distance from the moon. Therefore, a supermoon overhead adds up to 0.36 lux.

However, the moon’s closeness causes higher tides than usual. The sun and the moon’s gravitational forces pull the ocean’s water, creating spring tides. The supermoon creates a 5 cm larger variation in spring tides.

The 2024 beaver moon was seen around the world, illuminating cities with clear skies. The full moon is also a special centerpiece of various cultural events taking place, like the Loy Krathong festival in Thailand which takes place on the full moon of the twelfth month on the Thai traditional calendar, which is usually in November. Another festival is the Kartik Purnima, celebrated on the fifteenth day of the lunar month Kartika and is celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs.

The last full moon of 2024 will be on Dec. 15, but it will not be a supermoon. The next series of supermoons will take place from October 2025 to January 2026.