Full beaver moon to light up Britain's skies on Monday

Rob Waugh
·Contributor
Updated ·2 min read
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A full November moon, which is known as a Beaver's Moon according to the native north Americans, rises behind the Grade II listed Victoria Tower on the summit of Castle Hill in Huddersfield. (Photo by Danny Lawson/PA Images via Getty Images)
A full November moon, known as a beaver moon by Native Americans, rises behind the Grade II-listed Victoria Tower on the summit of Castle Hill in Huddersfield.

The last full moon before Christmas will be visible across the UK on Monday.

Also known as the beaver moon and sometimes the frost moon, the November full moon is the penultimate one of the year, until the cold moon due on 27 December.

However, as our calendar doesn't quite line up with the phases of the moon, it's possible to have more than one full moon per calendar month.

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When can I see it?

The full Beaver Moon peaked at 9.16am on 27 November, but will appear full on Monday night.

It will be visible from 3.59pm, when the sun sets.

Dr Darren Baskill, astronomer and lecturer at the University of Sussex, told BBC Science Focus: "You have a second opportunity to admire the full moon hugging the horizon when it rises in the north-east as the sun sets later that same day, just before 4pm in the UK.

"Full moons always occur when the moon is on the opposite side of the sky to the sun, and it is fully illuminated by sunshine – which is where the name 'full moon' originates."

Why is it called the beaver moon?

The moons of the year all have names, from flower moon to cold moon, many of which originate in the Old Farmer's Almanac, a US book first published in the 1930s.

A full November moon, which is known as a Beaver or Hunters' Moon according to the native north Americans, rises at Ely, Cambridgeshire. (Photo by Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Images)
A full November moon rises at Ely in Cambridgeshire.

The beaver moon moniker for November's full moon adopted by the Old Farmer's Almanac is supposedly from Algonquian languages once spoken by Native Americans in New England.

Royal Museums Greenwich said there was some dispute over what the name really means.

It writes: "There is disagreement over the origin of November's beaver moon name.

"Some say it comes from Native Americans setting beaver traps during this month, while others say the name comes from the heavy activity of beavers building their winter dams."

Where can you see it?

Look northeast and the beaver moon will be visible across the UK from 3.59pm on Monday, weather permitting.