Bonfire Night's Beaver supermoon to be biggest and brightest of 2025

The second of three consecutive supermoons of 2025 will coincide with Bonfire Night on Wednesday.

The full Beaver Moon rises in the UK at around 15:55 GMT on 5 November.

It will be the largest and brightest Moon this year.

If you want to catch a glimpse, keep an eye on the forecast to see where has the best chance of seeing clear skies.

The Moon does not orbit the earth in a perfect circle but has more of an egg-shaped, elliptical orbit. Therefore it is not always the same distance from the Earth.

At its closest point - or perigee - the Moon is about 220,000 miles away from Earth, whereas at its furthest point - or apogee - it is around 250,000 miles away.

If the Moon is full at its closest point to Earth, or within 90% of its perigee, it can be referred to as a 'supermoon'.

The term was first coined in 1979 by astrologer Richard Nolle to describe full Moons that appear noticeably larger and brighter as they coincide with the perigee.

They can seem to be up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full Moons, external.

November's Beaver Moon will be the closest full Moon to Earth this year, therefore it will be the brightest and will appear to be the largest.

Each month's full Moon has a nickname reflecting what is happening in nature and the weather at that time of year. Many of these names date back centuries and some are more obvious than others such as February's 'Snow Moon' or June's 'Strawberry Moon'.

But what about November's Beaver Moon? It is thought that the term may have been used in a range of cultures from certain Native American tribes to early European settlers. It is the time of year beavers become particularly active as they build dams and stock up on food for the winter.

Beavers in the UK were hunted to extinction in the 16th Century, mainly for their furs.

However, in recent years rewilding projects have been reintroducing beavers to several parts of England and Scotland. They can bring huge benefits to nature, including improving river water quality and increasing biodiversity.

Whilst this will be the brightest and largest full Moon of 2025, you won't have to wait long until the next one, as we will see the third and final supermoon of the year on 4 December.

The week ahead is looking changeable, with a series of low pressure systems expected to move west to east across the UK. This means spells of rain and wind at times interspersed with calmer and drier interludes.

It is too soon to say exactly where will have optimum viewing conditions for the Beaver Moon on Wednesday but the current most likely weather pattern is for a frontal system to bring cloud and rain to the south, with increasing chances of clearer skies and drier conditions further north.

Keep up to date with the forecast as we approach Bonfire Night by checking the BBC Weather website or App.