Final supermoon of 2024 rises: What to know about the Beaver Moon

The sky will be illuminated by the final supermoon of 2024 on Friday.

The Beaver Moon is the last of four supermoons for the year and will peak at 4:29 p.m. ET but it has already been looking mostly full for those grabbing a quick glance, Space.com reported.

A supermoon is a full moon that happens when the moon is the closest to Earth, The Washington Post reported.

It will look a bit brighter and larger than a normal full moon, NASA said.

To see the full moon, look toward Taurus, just below Aries.

It is called the Beaver Moon because it is when the animals start to shelter in their lodges after making sure they have enough food for the winter, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. It was also the time when trappers would capture beavers for their thick, winter pelts.

The Beaver Moon also is called the Digging or Scratching Moon (Tlingit), Deer Rutting Moon (Dakota and Lakota), Whitefish Moon (Algonquin), Frost Moon (Cree and Assiniboine), Freezing Moon (Anishinaabe), the almanac said.

Along with the Beaver Moon, you will also be able to see Mercury, Venus, Saturn and Jupiter throughout the evening. Mars will be visible just before midnight.

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