Astronomers can observe the full Beaver Moon on Friday afternoon, and the last supermoon of the year will appear larger and brighter than usual.
NASA says the Moon will reach peak illumination starting at 4:29 p.m. EST and the sun will set that evening a few minutes later, at 4:38 p.m.
Supermoons are a regular part of the Moon’s Earth orbit, according to NASA research scientist Dennis Gallagher.
“The Moon’s orbit circles the Earth approximately once every 27 and a third days,” Gallagher said in a blog post. “This period of closest approach to Earth, or perigee, occurs three or four times a year due to the movements of the Earth and Moon around the Sun.”
The Beaver Moon, of course, is named after the animal itself. Beavers are the largest living rodents in North America and are known for their long, flat tails that they use to swim faster, balance, and emit loud alarm calls. Equipped with large orange teeth, they cut down trees and other plants for food and building materials.
A supermoon rose over Huntsville, Alabama, last August. Supermoons are the largest and brightest full months of the year. The last supermoon, the full beaver moon, rises on Friday. (Credits: NASA/Michael DeMocker)
November is the month when beavers strengthen their mothers and stock up on food, preparing for the harsh winter months.
It was also the month when hunters trapped beavers for their thick winter clothing. Beavers were nearly eliminated from much of their normal range in the late 1800s due to unregulated trapping. Populations are currently stable and have reestablished much of this area. There are approximately 15 million beavers in the United States today.
Researchers are using NASA satellites to monitor the impacts of beaver restoration on the landscape. Beavers help make places more resilient to drought and wildfires. (Credits: NASA/Boise State University)
And beavers have additional importance for the space agency.
NASA is helping measure the impacts of beaver rewilding in Idaho. The project uses NASA’s Earth observation satellites to track the transformation of the landscape after the beavers’ arrival.
These efforts help researchers at local universities better understand the pace and nuances of beaver impacts without having to send people to remote areas.
NASA said the data showed that when semi-aquatic mammals build dams on waterways, they naturally disperse and hold water on land longer. This creates habitats and supports more plants.
Dams also create more drinking water, make the landscape more resilient and provide better grazing for livestock.
“I think in many ways this idea of the beaver is starting to catch on. I think a lot of people realize that without beavers, these watersheds basically deteriorate,” Jay Wilde, an Idaho cattle rancher, told NASA last year.
