Full Moon Rises Tonight in Pre-Thanksgiving Lunar Show

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Astrophotographer John Chumack captured this amazing view of the full moon on July 31, 2015 from Dayton, Ohio.
Astrophotographer John Chumack captured this amazing view of the full moon on July 31, 2015 from Dayton, Ohio. The November full moon rises tonight (Nov. 25). (Image credit: John Chumack - GalacticImages.com)

November's full moon will rise tonight, bringing an early Thanksgiving treat for skywatchers lucky enough to have clear skies over the long U.S. holiday weekend. 

The full moon tonight (Nov. 25) moon will be at its best tonight at 5:44 p.m. EST (2244 GMT), but to the average skywatcher, the moon can appear full in the day before and the day after the actual event. That means that the moon may still appear full on Thanksgiving as many U.S. skywatchers get full on turkey dinners to celebrate the holiday. November's full moon is traditionally known among Native Americans as the Full Beaver Moon.

"Another interpretation suggests that the name Beaver Full Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now active in their preparation for winter," Rao explained in his guide to the full moon names of 2015. 

November's full moon is also known as the Frost Moon or the Frosty Moon, according to Rao and the "Farmer's Almanac," which is no surprise, since it comes at a time when the days take on a prewinter chill in the North.

While the full moon may not be the best time to observe the moon (its overwhelming brightness can wash out details), it is one of the most accessible targets in the night sky for beginning stargazers. If you plan to observe the moon with a telescope, you may want to consider a moon filter, which dulls the moon's brilliance in order to reveal details on the lunar surface. [How to Photograph the Moon Through a Telescope]

And if tonight's full moon isn't enough of a holiday treat for you, just wait until next month. The full moon of December will occur early on Dec. 25, making it a dazzling lunar present for Christmas morning skywatchers. 

Editor's note: If you capture an amazing view of the full moon tonight or any other view of the night sky, and you'd like to share it with Space.com and its news partners for a possible story or gallery, you can send images and comments to managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

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Tariq Malik
Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.