People in the Middle East will witness a rare astronomical event this Wednesday, as November’s full moon will appear larger and brighter than usual in what is known as a “supermoon.”
This will be the closest moon to Earth in 2025, and the nearest since 2019.
It will reach full moon on the evening of Wednesday, November 5, with the best viewing expected on Thursday, November 6, just after sunset, when it rises over the eastern horizon appearing strikingly large and bright.
Engineer Essam Gouda, head of the Egyptian Astronomical Society, told Al-Ain News: “The moon will approach a distance of approximately 356,980 kilometers from Earth, making it the closest full moon of the year.
This is part of a series of three consecutive supermoons in October, November, and December.”
In North America, the November full moon is traditionally called the “Beaver Moon,” named after the period when beavers build their dams.
It is also known as the “Frost Moon” or “Snow Moon,” while some Native American tribes refer to it as the “Freezing Moon.”
A supermoon occurs when the moon reaches perigee—the closest point to Earth, while it is full, making it appear about 14% larger and 30% brighter than the smallest full moon of the year, according to NASA.
Gouda explained that “tides may rise slightly during the supermoon, but the difference is usually unnoticeable for most people.”
He added that “the moon will appear slightly bigger and brighter, though the naked eye may not easily detect the difference.”
The moon will also appear near the Pleiades star cluster (the Seven Sisters) in the Taurus constellation, creating a spectacular scene, especially for photography enthusiasts.
No special equipment is needed to observe the moon, just a clear sky and an open space. The moon will appear nearly full on the evening of Tuesday, November 4, as a prelude to the supermoon.
This is the second supermoon of 2025, with the final supermoon of the year expected in December, followed by another in January 2026.
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