Is it just me or is 2023 flying by?  November's full moon is the full Beaver Moon, and it's the final full moon of fall.

Get our free mobile app

Two More Full Moons in 2023

Can you believe there are only two more full moons before we close out 2023?  At the end of October we saw the Hunter's Moon, and coming up at the end of November we will see the full Beaver Moon.  So why is November's full moon called the Beaver Moon?

The Full Beaver Moon

Each full moon has a different name that it goes by, and according to the Almanac, this particular moon is named the Beaver Moon because it falls during the time beavers usually start to take shelter for the long winter ahead.  It's also because back during the fur trade they would trap beavers at this time because it's when they would have their thick winter pelt (kind of dark, right?).

Almanac goes on to say that the November moon has a few other names it goes by, and all of them have to do with animals getting ready for the winter months ahead.

November’s Moon names highlight the actions of animals preparing for winter and the onset of the colder days ahead. Digging (or Scratching) Moon, a Tlingit name, evokes the image of animals foraging for fallen nuts and shoots of green foliage and bears digging their winter dens. The Dakota and Lakota term Deer Rutting Moon refers to the time when deer seek mates, and the Algonquin Whitefish Moon describes the spawning time for this fish.

 

When to See the Full Beaver Moon

If you want to catch the full Beaver Moon, you'll want to look to the sky around 4:16 AM Eastern Time on November 27th, to see the moon reach peak illumination.  Even though 3 AM our time is when the moon will actually peak, the Farmer's Almanac says due to our perspective, the moon will appear full for up to three days.  So if you're like me and don't plan on stepping outside to look at the moon at 3 in the morning, take a step outside on the night of November 26th to see the full Beaver Moon just before peak illumination.

The next full moon, and the final full moon of 2023 is December's Cold Moon which will be the first full moon of the winter season happening the day after Christmas.