Get ready - the most spectacular supermoon in nearly 69 years will be soon visible here in the DMV!
Monday, November 14th the Beaver Supermoon will occur. A full moon is called a supermoon or perigee moon when it is at its closest point in its orbital to earth. During a supermoon, the moon appears slightly bigger and brighter than a normal full moon. This particular month's moon is called the Beaver supermoon because it is the month in which Native American tribes and American settlers would set beaver traps to stock up on fur before the harsh winter ahead. This moon is also known as the Frost Supermoon, often around the time of the first frost in many locations.
This will be the 2nd of 3 consecutive supermoons to round out the year of 2016. This Super Beaver Moon will appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than a full moon that falls on apogee, the point in the moon's orbit when it is farthest away from Earth. The last time a supermoon was this close was in 1948, 68 years ago. There will not be another full moon as close or appear as big/bright for another 18 years until November 25, 2034.
When should you view the supermoon? The full moon will occur around 8:52am on Monday Novmber 14th. Since that's during the daylight hours here on the east coast, you can view the supermoon on either Sunday night or Monday night, with the better of the two nights occurring on Sunday night the 13th.
Enjoy! If you're out snapping photos of the super beaver moon- post them to our WUSA 9 Facebook page so we can share the spectacular sight on WUSA 9 News!
