The last supermoon of the year will peak along with the Leonid meteor shower

() – November’s full moon, also known as the beaver moon, will shine in the sky on Friday as the last supermoon of the year.

For skywatchers watching this weekend, the Leonid meteor shower could be an extra dazzling spectacle when it peaks Saturday night and early Sunday, according to the American Meteor Society.

The beaver moon, named in reference to the animal’s hibernation and thicker fur at this time of year, will reach the peak of its full phase at 4:29 p.m. ET on Friday, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. But the moon will appear full to the naked eye about a day before and after its peak, said Noah Petro, head of NASA’s Planetary Geology, Geophysics and Geochemistry Laboratory.

“There is a time in time when the moon is at its fullest, but if it’s cloudy or you’re busy, if you go out at any other time, whether it’s a day earlier, later in the night, or the next day, you’ll still see the beauty. of the full moon,” said Petro.

A supermoon occurs when the Moon’s full phase coincides with its perigee, its closest approach to Earth in its orbit, according to NASAwhich makes the Moon appear slightly larger and brighter than average.

The November full moon is the fourth consecutive supermoon this year and will be a little further away than October’s full moon, which was the closest moon of 2024 and was captured in photographs around the world.

But the beaver moon could still offer a unique sight to behold. Petro recommends watching the moon as it is rising for a chance to see a “lunar illusion” as it rises above the horizon, where the supermoon could appear even larger than usual.

Scientists don’t really know why this optical illusion occurs, but it is thought to result from a combination of how our brain processes visual information and the size of the moon compared to smaller objects near the horizon, such as trees or mountains. roofs of houses.

In addition to observations from Earth, current space missions such as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter from NASA, which has been collecting data on the Moon since 2009, help improve our understanding of the Moon, Petro said.

“We continue mapping the Moon. “We continue to discover their secrets,” he said. “So when people go out to look at the Moon, know that not only are they seeing a wonderful object in the night sky, but somewhere orbiting around it is this little spacecraft that is staging our view of the Moon and its history.”

If local weather conditions permit, those in the northern and southern hemispheres will be able to see the Beaver Moon and may also observe a Leonid meteor shining brightly in the night sky.

The Leonid meteor shower tends to produce 15 meteors per hour during its peak, but because the full luminosity of the moon will prevent visibility of the faintest meteors, viewing conditions may offer only about five meteors per hour this weekend. this week, said Robert Lunsford, fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society.

For patient skywatchers looking to spy a meteor, Lunsford recommends looking east with the moon out of the field of view.

“Look at the middle of the sky, as most meteors will appear in the lower half of the sky,” Lunsford said in an email. “Observe as late as possible, as more Leonids will be seen before dawn than around midnight.”

For amateur astronomers who want to get involved in collecting data on space objects, Lunsford pointed to online fireball reporting forms that can help scientists study meteor shower activity, such as the one from the International Organization of Meteors.

“From these reports, astronomers get a better idea of ​​when the Earth encounters these meteors and the intensity of this activity,” he added. “This allows them to make more accurate predictions of future Leonid showers.”

The last full moon of 2024 will be the cold moon on December 15, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.

According to the American Meteor Society, the Leonids will shine in the night sky until they disappear completely on December 2. If you’re eager to see more, two meteor showers will peak next month:

Geminids: December 12 and 13

Ursids: December 21 and 22