Fireworks won’t be the only spectacular sight in the night sky tonight.

The largest and brightest Moon of the year – the full Beaver supermoon – will also be shining.

Rising at 15:55 GMT on Wednesday evening this supermoon is the second of three this year.

However, you probably have more of a guarantee of seeing the fireworks than the Moon due to the large amount of cloud which is forecast across the United Kingdom.

Why is this Moon a ‘supermoon’?

The Moon does not orbit the earth in a perfect circle but has more of an egg-shaped, elliptical orbit. Therefore it is not always the same distance from the Earth.

At its closest point – or perigee – the Moon is about 220,000 miles away from Earth, whereas at its furthest point – or apogee – it is around 250,000 miles away.

If the Moon is full at its closest point to Earth, or within 90% of its perigee, it can be referred to as a ‘supermoon’.

The term was first coined in 1979 by astrologer Richard Nolle to describe full Moons that appear noticeably larger and brighter as they coincide with the perigee.

They can seem to be up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full Moons, external.

This month’s Beaver Moon will be the closest full Moon to Earth this year, therefore it will be the brightest and will appear to be the largest.

Why is it a called a Beaver Moon?

Each month’s full Moon has a nickname reflecting what is happening in nature and the weather at that time of year. Many of these names date back centuries and some are more obvious than others such as February’s ‘Snow Moon’ or June’s ‘Strawberry Moon’.

But what about November’s Beaver Moon? It is thought that the term may have been used in a range of cultures from certain Native American tribes to early European settlers. It is the time of year beavers become particularly active as they build dams and stock up on food for the winter.

Beavers in the UK were hunted to extinction in the 16th Century, mainly for their furs.

However, in recent years rewilding projects have been reintroducing beavers to several parts of England and Scotland. They can bring huge benefits to nature, including improving river water quality and increasing biodiversity.

Whilst this will be the brightest and largest full Moon of 2025, you won’t have to wait long until the next one, as we will see the third and final supermoon of the year on 4 December.

What is the forecast?

It has been incredibly mild for early November with a maximum temperature on Tuesday of 17.6 C in Cambridge.

While this is shy of the record November maximum of 22.4 C in 2015 but still around 6 or 7 C above average.

The milder weather though has also brought a lot of cloud and rain.

And that rain has been especially heavy in western areas of England and Wales with some areas such as the Lake District already recording a whole months worth of rain since the beginning of November.

Wednesday evening will be cloudy with rain at times across Scotland and Northern Ireland and so little chance of seeing the full supermoon.

Across England and Wales, the cloud will be more variable so there will be occasional breaks where the supermoon will be visible.

If you do not get a chance to view the Beaver Moon, the next and final supermoon of 2025 will be next month on 4 December.