When to see the biggest full moon since 2019 as supermoon set to light up the sky

The largest and brightest moon of the year is set to appear this week, with the second of three supermoons landing on Bonfire Night.

Named the beaver moon, after the animal that build their dams at night in North America every November, is expected to be up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than other full moons.

The supermoon, which is also predicted to be the largest of its kind since 2019, refers to a full moon at its closest point to Earth.

Because the moon orbits Earth in an egg-shaped elliptical orbit rather than a perfect circle, there are times when it is significantly closer to our planet than others. At its closest point, known as its perigee, the moon is roughly 220,000 miles away, whereas when its at its furthest point from Earth, or its apogee, it's around 250,000 miles away.

When a moon is within 90 percent of its perigee, it can be classed as a supermoon.

The biggest supermoon in six years will coincide with Bonfire Night (Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

How can you see the Beaver supermoon?

The beaver moon is set to reach its full moon phase at 1.19pm UK time on Wednesday 5 November, however, it will be at its most visible when night falls later that evening and should be on show from tomorrow evening, 4 November, and for several nights afterwards.

By sheer coincidence, the supermoon will coincide with Bonfire Night in the UK, making it the perfect backdrop for fireworks displays up and down the country.

Just how visible the moon will be depends on the weather forecast, with the Met Office reporting spells of rain and wind interspersed with calmer and dryer interludes.

A supermoon over Glastonbury in September 2024 (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

It will depend on cloud coverage as to how clear the moon appears, and as it stands, the current weather pattern looks likely to bring cloud and rain to the north and west of the UK, with drier and clearer conditions across the east and south.

Fortunately, you won't need any assistance to see the beaver moon, which should be clearly visible to the naked eye. If you can't immediately spot it, the best place to look is where the sun usually rises in the morning.

And, if you're looking to snap some pictures of the glorious sight, the best thing to do is to turn on night mode, turn off the flash and hold the device as still as possible, or even better yet use a tripod.