Ever heard of the Beaver Moon? Is it a rodent? What to know, when to see it in Washington
The second-to-last full moon of 2023 will illuminate Washington’s skies on Sunday night into Monday morning, and if you plan ahead, you may see it.
Nicknamed the Beaver Moon, it will reach peak illumination above Washington on Monday at 1:16 a.m., according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
But the moon will still be very close to full illumination on Sunday night, so skywatchers shouldn’t feel too pressured to stay up into the early morning hours. You can see the moonrise by looking toward the southeast.
The National Weather Service stations in Pendleton and Seattle forecast partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 20s across the whole of Washington State on Sunday night heading into Monday morning.
What is the Beaver Moon?
Full moons have multiple names, and many come from Indigenous cultures. The Old Farmer’s Almanac uses Indigenous moon names and monikers from Colonial America and other North American sources.
The yearly November moon is nicknamed the Beaver Moon because, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, this is the time of year when beavers begin to build their winter dams and stock up for a winter of hibernation.
The Beaver Moon also has many other names coming from different cultures, according to Time and Date.
Native Americans’ names for the November Moon include the Frost, Freezing, Trade and Snow Moon, although the latter is typically used for the February full moon. In Celtic traditions — an ancient group of people primarily from the British Isles — the last full moon before the Winter Solstice is called the Mourning Moon or the Dark Depths Moon.
Upcoming full moons
There’s one other full moon in 2023 before the cycle starts again in 2024. Here’s the list of upcoming full moons:
Dec. 26: Cold Moon
Jan. 25: Wolf Moon
Feb. 24: Snow Moon
March 25: Worm Moon
April 23: Pink Moon
May 23: Flower Moon
This story was originally published November 22, 2023 at 1:27 PM with the headline "Ever heard of the Beaver Moon? Is it a rodent? What to know, when to see it in Washington."
