TORONTO – People around the world got a glimpse of the second supermoon of the year brightening the night sky.
Called the Beaver Moon, it reached its peak in the morning hours on Wednesday.
Jesse Rogerson, an astrophysicist and York University professor, says a supermoon is only possible when the moon is at its closest point to earth and in its full phase.
He says the moon, like other objects in space, doesn’t orbit in perfect circles. Instead, it follows an elliptical pattern.
That means there is a point in time during its orbit when it’s closest to Earth and a point in time when it’s farthest away.
These points are called perigee and apogee, respectively.
Tuesday night’s full moon was at perigee, giving us the illusion of an unusually large moon.
According to NASA, supermoons happen about three to four times a year. The next supermoon, called the Cold Moon, will be on Dec. 4.
The names of these moons are connected to a variety of things, including Indigenous culture and human understanding of nature, Rogerson says.
The Beaver Moon name comes from being the full moon that happens around the time that beavers are starting to get ready for winter.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2025
