Two stunning sights are set to take over the skies over Edinburgh tonight, as the year’s most impressive supermoon is set to coincide with an evening of fireworks and bonfires across the country. November’s full moon will be an impressive supermoon, as the moon appears much closer to Earth than usual. And this lunar event is taking place on November 5, handily coinciding with Guy Fawkes Night – aka Bonfire Night.
This will be the second of three supermoons taking place in 2025. The last one was the Harvest Moon supermoon, which took over the skies on October 7. And the next will take place in early December. But for now, we’ll be turning our eyes to the sky this afternoon and evening, on November 5, as we swap our eyes between fireworks, bonfires, and an enormous glowing moon.
What is a supermoon?
At its simplest, ‘supermoon’ is simply a name given to full moons that are closer to Earth than usual, which, as a result, seem much larger. This varying distance from Earth is due to the Moon’s egg-like elliptical orbit pattern. Just like Earth orbiting the Sun, the Moon does not orbit Earth in a completely circular pattern. At the closest point of its orbit, the Moon is a whopping 30,000 miles closer than when it is at its furthest point. If there is a full moon, and the Moon is within 90% of its shortest distance from Earth, it’s a super moon!
All that to say: the Moon is closer, and thus it appears bigger.
This particular full moon is known as the Beaver Moon. But this doesn’t mean that there will suddenly be hordes of beavers swarming the city and the country. Instead, it’s simply an old name given to the first full moon in November. Each month has a specific name for its full moon – with names like the Harvest Moon, the Strawberry Moon, and Buck Moon.
Seeing the supermoon
Now, in theory, seeing a supermoon is a lot simpler than spotting other astronomical phenomena. That’s because it’s… you know… the moon. It’s kind of just there. Cast your eyes to the sky this evening, and the moon will seem much closer, much larger, and much brighter than usual.
However, there is one small caveat: the weather. If the weather isn’t playing ball, and rain-clouds block the view of the Moon, then you simply won’t be able to see it! And there might be some difficulty seeing the sight, according to the Met Office. The forecast predicts pretty cloudy conditions throughout the day, which might interrupt our fireworks- and moon-watching.
If the weather conditions aren’t favourable, and the Beaver Moon supermoon isn’t visible, it’s not our last chance to spot the moon shining bright (and close) in the sky. The next supermoon will take place on December 4.