Look up tonight! Full Beaver Moon will light up the night sky – here’s the best time to see it from the UK

Make the most of the shorter days today, as a ‘full moon’ lights up Britain’s skies from early afternoon.

The beaver moon is the penultimate full moon of 2023 and will be visible after sunset at 16:00 GMT today.

While the full moon was technically this morning, our satellite will still appear full when it rises tonight.

The best time to see this dazzling display is immediately after moonrise, while it is still close to the horizon and appears larger than usual.

With cloud cover forecast for most of the UK, dress warmly and watch for a gap in the clouds for the best view.

How can I see the beaver moon?

Dr Darren Paskill from the University of Sussex says the best time to see Beaver Moon was in the early hours of this morning.

However, Dr. Paskill says there’s no need to worry if you can’t drag yourself out of bed on a particularly cold morning.

“You have a second chance to enjoy the full moon hugging the horizon as it rises in the northeast as the sun sets later the same day,” Dr. Paskill said. BBC Science Focus.

When the moon rises above the horizon it may appear larger than usual, but this is actually just an optical illusion.

The “Moon Illusion” makes the Moon appear much larger to us when it is low on the horizon even though it remains exactly the same size throughout the night.

However, even if it’s not actually larger, Dr. Paskill says the Beaver Moon is “an impressive sight when it’s low on the horizon.”

Tonight’s weather may not be ideal for moon viewing but it’s still possible to catch some good glimpses of the Beaver Moon.

The best time to see the moon is shortly after it rises and lowers to the horizon when the “moon illusion” makes it appear larger than usual

The Meteorological Office expects fairly dense clouds to cover most of the south and east of the country around 17:00 GMT this evening.

However, there will be some cloudburst breaks over Manchester and parts of Wales and the southwest.

Stargazers across London or the South East should be prepared for wet weather as the Met Office forecasts heavy rain in the late afternoon.

If you’re going out to see the moon, be sure to dress warmly as temperatures are expected to drop to around 40°F (5°C) overnight.

Tonight may not be ideal weather for stargazing, but there will still be patches of clear skies across the country

Why is it called the beaver moon?

The Beaver Moon got its name from the 16th to 19th centuries in America when the trade in beaver pelts was booming.

Some theories posit that the moon was so named because November was beaver hunting season due to the thick coats the animals grow during the winter.

Others suggest that the moon represents the time of year when beavers retreat to their roosts in anticipation of the coming cold months.

“Different cultures have long given different names to this year’s 12 full moons,” Dr Paskill said.

“Although the origins of these names have been lost over the years, beavers are most active at dawn and dusk. They can be seen strutting away throughout the night by the light of this full moon.

“Beavers are particularly visible at this time of year, as the absence of leaves on trees and shrubs makes them easy to spot.”

It is believed that the beaver moon gets its name from the beaver hunting season in North America, or from the fact that beavers are easier to spot at this time of year.

Will the moon be larger than normal?

While the full beaver moon is an impressive sight, it will actually be no larger than any regular full moon.

That’s because this year’s Beaver Moon is not a “supermoon.”

Dr Paskill explained: “A full moon always occurs when the moon is on the opposite side of the sky from the sun, and is fully illuminated by the sun’s rays – hence the name ‘full moon’.”

On the other hand, a supermoon occurs when the moon is at its closest point to Earth, or at perigee.

As the Moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical shape, it moves closer and closer throughout the cycle.

When perigee aligns with full moon conditions, we get a supermoon in which the Moon may appear up to 14% larger.

The next opportunity to catch the supermoon will be on September 18, 2024.

This will be a particularly special event, because it will also be a partial lunar eclipse, meaning part of the Moon will pass into Earth’s shadow and appear red.

Moon phases

Like the Earth, the Moon has a day side and a night side, which change as the Moon rotates.

One half of the Moon is always illuminated by the Sun while the other half remains dark, but how much of this illuminated half we can see changes as the Moon moves through its orbit.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the phases of the moon are:

1. New moon

This is the invisible phase of the Moon, where the bright side of the Moon faces the Sun and the night side faces the Earth.

2. The growing crescent

This silvery patch of the moon occurs when the illuminated half of the moon is far from Earth, with only a small portion visible to us from our planet.

3. First quarter

The moon has now traveled a quarter of its monthly journey and you see half of its bright side.

4. The humpback morning

Now most of the moon’s day side is visible, and the moon appears brighter in the sky.

5. Full moon

This is the closest thing to seeing the sun’s illumination of the entire side of the moon.

6. The humpback retreated

When the moon begins its journey back toward the sun, the other side of the moon reflects moonlight.

7. The last quarter

The Moon looks like it’s half lit from Earth’s perspective, but you’re actually seeing half of the Moon’s sunlit half – or a quarter.

8. The waning crescent

The Moon is almost back to the point in its orbit where its daylight is directly facing the Sun, and all we see from our perspective is a thin curve.