November’s full moon is the last supermoon in 2024: When and how to watch

The past supermoon of 2024 will beryllium visible worldwide connected Friday night.

This supermoon will scope its highest brightness connected Friday astatine 4:29pm Eastern Time (21:29 GMT).

This satellite will coincide pinch different celestial events, including nan Leonid meteor ablution and nan Pleiades prima cluster.

Here is what to know:

What is simply a afloat satellite and supermoon?

According to NASA, a afloat satellite is defined arsenic nan infinitesimal erstwhile nan satellite is precisely 180 degrees other to nan sun. In essence, nan Earth, satellite and sun are each successful a statement astatine this point. During this time, nan sun is almost afloat illuminating nan Earth’s satellite.

A supermoon is defined arsenic an astronomical arena wherever a afloat satellite looks larger and brighter than usual. It happens erstwhile nan afloat satellite occurs astatine nan aforesaid clip erstwhile it is closest to nan Earth successful its orbit.

The word “supermoon” was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle successful 1979 to picture a afloat satellite that occurs erstwhile nan satellite is “within 90 percent of its closest to Earth”.

At nan other extremity of nan satellite sighting spectrum is nan micromoon – erstwhile nan afloat satellite looks particularly mini and dull because it coincides pinch nan constituent successful nan moon’s orbit erstwhile it is farthest from nan Earth.

What is nan Beaver Moon?

This year’s Beaver Moon will beryllium nan 4th and past supermoon of 2024, looking bigger and brighter arsenic it gets person to Earth, reaching astir 361,867km (225,000 miles) distant connected Thursday.

However, it will scope its afloat shape connected Friday.

Full moons are usually fixed names that subordinate to things happening successful nature. According to nan Old Farmer’s Almanac, this sanction is besides rooted successful various traditions and folklore from Native American and European cultures.

In nan Northern Hemisphere, this is nan play erstwhile beavers commencement settling into their lodges, having stored capable nutrient for nan winter.

Some telephone it nan Mourning Moon, arsenic it’s nan past afloat satellite earlier nan wintertime solstice. Other names see nan Frost Moon and nan Freezing Moon, and those travel from nan frosts and early snows that statesman this clip of year, peculiarly successful northeastern North America.

Where and erstwhile tin you watch it?

Supermoons tin beryllium seen worldwide, truthful highest illumination times will alteration by location.

In India, nan satellite will scope highest illumination astatine 2:58am (21:29 GMT) connected Saturday, while group successful London tin drawback it astir 21:29 connected Friday section time.

In nan Gulf countries of nan Middle East, nan satellite is group to illuminate nan skies connected Saturday astatine 00:29 GMT.

Look up! The last #supermoon of nan twelvemonth will beryllium visible coming 🌙

The #BeaverMoon will ray up our skies, and nan champion viewing conditions are conscionable aft #sunset! pic.twitter.com/6IrXiraVqZ

— Australian Geographic (@ausgeo) November 15, 2024

How tin you watch nan supermoon?

A casual stargazer should beryllium capable to spot nan afloat moon, if you are successful nan correct clip zone.

NASA also recommends using a brace of binoculars “with a magnification of 7 astatine a minimum”, noting that “a magnification of 10 aliases 15 will supply much detail; you whitethorn request a tripod to dependable them.”

The adjacent afloat satellite connected Nov. 15 is called a 'Beaver Moon'

Named aft beavers who build their wintertime dams astatine this clip of twelvemonth pic.twitter.com/SAgKdpUe2S

— Latest successful abstraction (@latestinspace) November 10, 2024

What different celestial events are taking place?

The Leonid meteor ablution will besides highest this weekend.

The Leonids are known for their fast-moving meteors, which tin recreation arsenic accelerated arsenic 70km/second (44 mps). While astir meteor showers travel from comet debris, nan Leonids travel from nan Tempel-Tuttle comet.

The Leonids are agleam meteors and tin moreover look successful different colours. According to NASA, astir each 33 years, Earth viewers whitethorn witnesser a Leonid storm, wherever nan meteor count tin highest astatine hundreds aliases moreover thousands per hour, depending connected nan observer’s location.

Leonid meteors lighting up nan nighttime entity of nan godforsaken adjacent Amman [File: Reuters]

This afloat satellite will besides align pinch nan Pleiades prima cluster.

The Pleiades are a recognisable shape of stars, and an unfastened prima cluster consisting of much than 1,000 stars. Situated successful nan constellation Taurus, they are astir 410 lightyears from Earth.

This year, nan brightness of nan afloat satellite whitethorn make it difficult to spot astir of nan stars successful nan cluster. On Saturday astatine 1:59 americium Eastern Time (06:59 GMT), nan Full Moon will beryllium conscionable 0°6′ distant from nan Pleiades.

The Pleiades, captured successful infrared light!

In this image, taken by nan WISE abstraction telescope, nan surrounding dust—visible successful infrared—shines moreover brighter than nan stars themselves.

The Pleiades is simply a prima cluster located successful nan constellation Taurus. pic.twitter.com/xtCcqnHjib

— Black Hole (@konstructivizm) November 11, 2024