The ‘Beaver supermoon’ will light up skies across Canada and here’s when to see it

Hey Canada, you’ll want to look up at the moon on Wednesday night! We’re up for a supermoon this month, and it’ll be the closest one of the year.

Bigger and brighter, November’s full moon, aka Beaver supermoon, will reach its peak illumination on Nov. 5, 2025. According to The Farmers Almanac, this moon orbits closer to Earth compared to any of the other Full Moons this year. It’s actually one of three supermoons for 2025, with the fourth and final display next month.

What is a supermoon?

According to NASA, a supermoon happens when a full Moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit, known as “perigee.”

“During every 27-day orbit around Earth, the Moon reaches both its perigee, about 226,000 miles (363,300 km) from Earth, and its farthest point, or apogee, about 251,000 miles (405,500 km) from Earth,” they add.

“At its closest point, the full Moon can appear up to 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than the faintest Moon of the year, which occurs when it’s farthest from Earth in its orbit.”

Why is this supermoon called a Beaver Moon?

The Farmer’s Almanac references the monthly Full Moons with names tied to early Native American, Colonial American, and European folklore.

“Traditionally, each Full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred and through all of the Moon’s phases—not only the Full Moon,” they share.

So why the Beaver Moon? This is actually the time of year when beavers start to hibernate and seek shelter in their lodges. And in the fur trade era, it was also the season to trap beavers for their pelts.

When can I see the Beaver Moon in my area?

Of course, when you can see this supermoon in your city depends on where you are in Canada. We’ve listed the times to see the supermoon in your cities, based on your time zones:

Vancouver, B.C.

The Beaver Moon will be at its fullest in Vancouver on Nov. 5, at 5:19 a.m., according to Time and Date.

Edmonton, Alta.

Edmonton, you’ll see the supermoon at 6:19 a.m.

Calgary, Alta.

And the same goes for you, Calgary. The supermoon will be at its peak in your city at 6:19 a.m.

Toronto, Ont.

Toronto, it looks like your day will start with some moon viewing action as the supermoon will hit its peak illumination at 8:19 a.m.

If you completely forget to see this supermoon in action this week, you’ll have one more chance before the year ends to see one, on Dec. 4, 2025.

But like always, we’ll be sure to keep you updated before the big day.

For now, keep your eyes peeled and look out for the Beaver supermoon.

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