The full Moon that's about to shine on Earth on November 5 will be the biggest and brightest of 2025's three full supermoons.
As Earth, Moon, and Sun align to fully illuminate the lunar hemisphere facing our planet, the satellite will be closer to Earth than at any other full phase of the year, giving it a slightly larger-than-usual appearance in the sky.
Since the full Moon rises over the horizon as the Sun falls below it, this presents a perfect opportunity to enjoy a spot of Moon-gazing, particularly if you have a telescope or astrophotography equipment ready to go.
Related: Our Moon Is Drifting Away. Here's What We Can Expect to Happen.
If this is your first time hearing about supermoons, you're in for a treat. They're a natural consequence of the Moon's slightly oval orbit around Earth. Because the orbit isn't perfectly round, the Moon is sometimes closer to Earth and sometimes farther away than its average 384,400-kilometer (238,855-mile) distance from Earth.
The closest point of its orbit is the lunar perigee, and the farthest is the apogee. The mean distance of the Moon from Earth at perigee is 363,396 kilometers. The mean distance at apogee is 405,504 kilometers.
There are around 13 lunar perigees every year, but not every perigee is a supermoon. Although there is no precise astronomical definition for the term 'supermoon', it's only used to describe the full or new Moon at perigee.
The perigee distance sort of wobbles around that mean distance a bit, but the supermoon of November 2025 is going to be a good one, coming to within just 356,980 kilometers. We haven't seen a full supermoon that close since February 2019, when the perigee distance was just 356,846 kilometers.
Because the November full Moon is known as the Beaver Moon, this supermoon is officially the Beaver Supermoon.
If you miss it, fear not; December will also feature a full supermoon, known as the Cold Supermoon, although perigee will have retreated to a more modest 357,219 kilometers.
Either way, however, any occasion to look at the Moon is a good occasion. Go out there and enjoy some of the perks of living on a giant spherical spaceship flying through the Milky Way.