Beaver supermoon: Stargazers catch sight of last supermoon of the year

People gather as the supermoon rises over St Michael's Tower, atop Glastonbury Tor. Credit: PA

Stargazers gathered as the last supermoon of the year appeared over the UK.

The Beaver Moon, which rose just after 3.30pm on Friday, marked the fourth supermoon of the year.

A glimpse of the supermoon through clouds over the Tower of London. Credit: PA

It was the last time to see the phenomenon until November next year.

A supermoon can be defined as being within 10% of its closest approach to Earth or within 360,000km of Earth.

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Friday’s full moon was further away from Earth than the previous two – September’s Harvest Moon and October’s Hunter’s Moon – and by some astronomers’ definitions it was not actually a supermoon.

The full moon’s name is given to reflect what is happening in nature during the month in which the full moon appears.

A partial lunar eclipse of a supermoon is seen at 02:31am in the skies above the suburbs of Liverpool. Credit: PA

Dr Darren Baskill, physics and astronomy lecturer at the University of Sussex, said: “Beavers are most active at dawn and dusk and they can be seen beavering away overnight by the light of this aptly named full moon.”

The next supermoon will not be until November 5, 2025.

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