Beaver Moon

November's full moon, the Beaver Moon, peaks on Tuesday, November 24, 2026, at 9:54 a.m. EST, two days before Thanksgiving. The peak happens in daylight across the US. The Moon still looks full on both the evening of Monday, November 23 and the evening of Tuesday, November 24, and those are the nights to watch. This full moon comes about 30 hours before lunar perigee, the Moon's closest point to Earth in its orbit. That puts it in supermoon territory, and it starts a run of close full moons that peaks with December's Cold Moon.

Quick facts

Peak time by US time zone

Daylight saving time ends on November 1, 2026, so all US zones are on standard time.

Times are calculated with the astronomy-engine library. timeanddate.com lists 9:53 a.m. EST; the one-minute difference comes from rounding.

Is it a supermoon?

"Supermoon" is not a formal astronomical term. The most widely used definition, from astrologer Richard Nolle and repeated by many astronomy outlets, counts a full moon that falls within 90% of the Moon's closest approach to Earth in a given orbit. On November 24 the Moon is about 360,750 km away at full phase. Perigee follows on November 25 at about 359,340 km. That easily meets the definition, and several US almanacs list this full moon as the first of three consecutive supermoons. The December 23–24 full moon is closer still, at about 356,730 km, which makes it the closest full moon of 2026.

How much bigger does it look? A full moon near perigee can appear up to roughly 14% larger and noticeably brighter than one near apogee, the Moon's farthest point. Next to an ordinary full moon, most people cannot see the difference without a side-by-side photo. The best "supermoon" impression comes from watching it rise low behind trees, buildings or mountains.

Best viewing tips

Go out at sunset on both nights. In New York City, the Moon rises at about 3:29 p.m. EST on November 23, an hour before the 4:32 p.m. sunset. On November 24 it rises at about 4:15 p.m., just before sunset at 4:31 p.m. Rising times shift by city and latitude, so check your local moonrise page.

Dress for cold. Late-November evenings are cold across much of the country. Bring layers and a warm drink if you plan to photograph the moonrise.

Use foreground for scale. A telephoto lens and a distant landmark, such as a skyline, a lighthouse or a ridge, make the rising Moon look dramatic. Apps and planners that show the moonrise azimuth help you line it up. The Moon rises north of due east around this time.

Binoculars and telescopes. At full phase the Moon is very bright. A neutral-density "moon filter" (a low-cost accessory) makes telescope views more comfortable.

Name origin and folklore

The name Beaver Moon appears in the Old Farmer's Almanac and the Farmers' Almanac. Two explanations are usually given. In late autumn, beavers are very active, finishing lodges and storing food for winter, and they work mostly at night. The name has also been tied to the colonial-era fur trade, when trappers set beaver traps before swamps and streams froze.

Another common name for this moon is the Frost Moon, which fits the first hard freezes of the season in much of North America. Many Native nations had their own names for the November moon, and these varied by region and language. The popular US list is a modern mix of almanac tradition, European names and borrowed Native terms rather than one official source.

In Celtic-inspired modern traditions, the last full moon before the winter solstice is sometimes called the Mourning Moon. The 2026 December solstice falls on December 21, before the December 23 full moon, so under that convention November's Beaver Moon is also 2026's Mourning Moon.