The largest and brightest supermoon of the year will light up the UAE’s skies on Wednesday, November 5.
Known as the Beaver Moon, it will be the penultimate supermoon of the year, appearing about 14 per cent larger and up to 30 per cent brighter than an average full moon.
A supermoon refers to when the Moon’s orbit is closest to Earth at the same time as a full Moon.
Tuesday's supermoon will be about 356,833km from Earth, almost 28,000km closer than the average distance.
“The Moon looks bigger when it’s near the horizon due to the ‘moon illusion’,” Khadijah Ahmed, operations manager at the Dubai Astronomy Group, told The National.
“Although the Moon's actual size doesn't change, our brain perceives it as larger when we see it next to objects like trees or buildings on the horizon.”
It was given the nickname ‘Beaver Moon’ because of an old tradition, when Native Americans used to mark the time beavers would prepare for winter by building their lodges before rivers froze.
"The term has origins from a variety of traditions and folklore in Native American and European culture," Nasa says on its website.
"November is when beavers prepare for the winter by fortifying dams and stocking their food supply.
"November was also the season to trap beavers for their thick, winter-ready pelts to use for warmer clothing."
This will be the second of three supermoons to take place in the country this year, with the first one, called Hunter’s Moon, that happened on October 1.
The final supermoon of the year, the Cold Moon, will appear on December 4.
This is a busy season of astronomy events that includes supermoons and meteor showers.
The Orionids meteor shower peaked on October 21 and 22, sending bright streaks of light across the night sky.
The season will close with the Geminids meteor shower on December 13 and 14. The Geminids are among the most reliably visible and dazzling showers, and can feature 120 meteors an hour at their peak.
