Moon

The Beaver supermoon arrives on November 24

Yucatán Magazine reports that the Beaver supermoon will be visible across North America. The magazine says the November full moon takes its name from seasonal traditions associated with beaver activity.

The full phase occurs at 9:53 a.m. Eastern Time, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, as cited by News Radio 570 WWNC. The station identifies the evenings of November 23 and November 24 as the best viewing opportunities.

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The moon passes close to Earth#

A supermoon is a full moon near perigee, the point in its orbit closest to Earth, according to Yucatán Magazine. The moon's orbit is oval rather than circular, so its distance from Earth changes during the month. The magazine puts that distance at about 360,768 kilometers on November 24.

Compared with an average full moon, the Beaver supermoon may look as much as eight percent larger, with a brightness increase of 16 percent, News Radio 570 WWNC reports. The station says it will appear full for about three nights and identifies moonrise on November 24 as a viewing opportunity.

Near the horizon, the moon can take on a yellow-orange color because Earth's atmosphere filters out shorter blue wavelengths, WBIW reports. The outlet also describes the moon illusion, in which the disk appears larger near trees or buildings than it does overhead.

The Beaver Moon carries seasonal names#

The Beaver Moon name is tied to North American seasonal patterns, when beavers take shelter in their lodges after building food reserves for winter, WBIW reports. The Old Farmer's Almanac also lists Frost Moon as a Cree name and Digging Moon as a Tlingit name, according to the outlet.

In Mérida, the 18th Night of the Stars takes place on November 14 at Bicentenario Animaya Zoological Park, ahead of the supermoon, Yucatán Magazine reports. The magazine says the event has moved from previous locations, including the Centenario zoo, and is scheduled to include around one hundred free activities.

The Mérida program includes science talks, workshops and telescope viewing, according to Yucatán Magazine. After November's full moon, another supermoon called the Cold Moon is due on December 23, Hot 975 reports.

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