On the fifth of November, 2025, the moon reached its full face at dawn over the Atlantic seaboard, and within hours it reached the nearest point of its lopsided journey around the Earth. Such alignments have been noticed by people for as long as there have been people to notice them, and this one arrives as the autumn sky fills with the debris of the Southern Taurids. Its brightness and size are real, though the name 'supermoon' is a modern convenience rather than a fixed measure. What remains is an invitation to look up at dusk, where the moon rises in the east to meet the watcher.
Largest Supermoon of 2025 Rises Tonight, Near Southern Taurid Fireball Peak
The largest supermoon of the year arrives just hours after perigee
Mark
Why does this particular full moon get the supermoon label when others are close too?
Mimi
Because it hits full phase at 8:19 a.m. EST on Nov. 5, just hours before perigee, its closest approach in the 27-day orbit. The two line up almost perfectly, so it's the year's biggest and brightest.
Luke
Worth saying that supermoon isn't an official astronomy term. The common rule is a full moon within 90 percent of perigee, which is a convention, not a hard line.
Mark
And how big a difference will people actually see?
Mimi
Up to 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than a full moon at apogee. Those are the upper bounds against the farthest case.
Luke
Right, so up to is doing real work there. Compared with an ordinary full moon the difference is smaller, and the source doesn't quantify that.
Mark
What about the meteors?
Mimi
The Southern Taurids are known for fireballs. The moon rises the night after their peak, and the meteors seem to radiate from Taurus, lower left of the moon.
Luke
But the same moonlight that makes the evening striking washes out faint sky objects. The source doesn't say how many meteors anyone should expect, so I wouldn't promise a show.
Mark
And if it's cloudy?
Mimi
The Virtual Telescope Project is running a free livestream starting at 2 p.m. EST.
O Pulso
- The full moon peaks at 8:19 a.m. EST, just hours before it reaches perigee, the closest point of its orbit to Earth.
- Bright moonlight threatens to wash out faint galaxies and nebulas, leaving skywatchers to choose between deep-sky ambitions and the moon itself.
- Viewers are urged to find an open eastern horizon at sunset, where the moon looks largest and may glow yellow-orange through the atmosphere.
- Clouds could obscure the sky, so the Virtual Telescope Project offers a free livestream beginning at 2 p.m. EST.
On the fifth of November, 2025, the moon reached its full face at dawn over the Atlantic seaboard, and within hours it reached the nearest point of its lopsided journey around the Earth. Such alignments have been noticed by people for as long as there have been people to notice them, and this one arrives as the autumn sky fills with the debris of the Southern Taurids. Its brightness and size are real, though the name 'supermoon' is a modern convenience rather than a fixed measure. What remains is an invitation to look up at dusk, where the moon rises in the east to meet the watcher.
The full moon reached its peak at 8:19 a.m. EST on November 5, 2025, and only hours later it arrived at perigee, the point in its elliptical orbit closest to Earth. That close pairing is what makes this November moon the largest and brightest supermoon of the year. In North America it is called the Beaver Moon, a name tied to the season when beavers busy themselves preparing for winter.
The word supermoon is not an official astronomy term. By common usage it applies when a full moon falls within about 90 percent of perigee, and such a moon can look up to 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than one near apogee, its farthest point from Earth.
For viewing, skywatchers should face the eastern horizon at sunset, where the fully lit disk rises near the stars of Aries. Low to the horizon the moon appears larger and may take on a yellow-orange glow. Saturn shines as a bright evening star to its right, and later Jupiter rises to the lower left below Castor and Pollux.
The moon also falls one night after the peak of the Southern Taurid meteor shower, famous for its fireballs, with meteors seeming to radiate from Taurus. Moonlight will drown out faint galaxies and nebulas, but the dark lunar seas make a fine target. For those under clouds, the Virtual Telescope Project offers a free livestream of the moonrise from 2 p.m. EST. The next step is simple: find an open eastern horizon at sunset, or tune in.
At 8:19 a.m. EST on Nov. 5, 2025 (1319 GMT), the moon reached its full phase. Only hours later it arrived at perigee, the closest point to Earth in its 27-day elliptical orbit. That timing is what makes November's full moon the largest and brightest supermoon of the year.
In North America this is known as the Beaver Moon, a name tied to the season when beavers grow more active as they prepare for winter. According to the Farmer's Almanac, it is also called the Frost Moon.
The word supermoon is not an official astronomy term. By the common working definition, it applies when a full moon falls within 90 percent of perigee. Such a moon can look up to 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than a full moon at apogee, the point in the orbit where the moon is farthest from Earth.
For viewing, Space.com advises looking toward the eastern horizon at sunset on Nov. 5. The fully lit disk will sit near the stars of the constellation Aries. Close to the horizon the moon tends to look bigger, and it may take on a yellow-orange tint, because particles in Earth's atmosphere scatter the bluer wavelengths of its reflected light.
Saturn will show up as a bright evening star to the right of the moon, toward the south at sunset. A few hours later, Jupiter will rise in the east, to the lower left of the moon and below the bright stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini.
The moon also arrives close to the Southern Taurid meteor shower, which is known for dramatic fireballs. The full moon falls one night after the shower's peak. Its meteors appear to radiate from Taurus, which sits to the lower left of the lunar disk on Nov. 5. Bright moonlight floods the autumn sky around full moon, though, and that makes faint deep-sky objects such as galaxies and nebulas hard to observe. The dark lunar seas, on the other hand, make a good target around this phase.
For anyone facing cloud cover, the Virtual Telescope Project is offering a free livestream of the moonrise starting at 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT) on Nov. 5. An editor's note added to the piece says the supermoon wowed skywatchers worldwide the night before, and points readers to a Beaver Moon photo roundup of images from around the world.
Photographers can turn to Space.com's guide to imaging the moon, along with its roundups of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography. The next step for viewers is simple: find an open eastern horizon at sunset, or tune in to the livestream.
Citações Notáveis
Supermoon is not an official astronomy term; it is generally applied when a full moon occurs within 90 percent of perigee.— Space.com
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