While many of us are wondering what to do with Thanksgiving leftovers or are heading back home after visiting relatives, beavers are busy constructing their dams for winter. Thus, the late November full moon is popularly known as the Beaver Moon.
Yes, many full moons get their names from seasonal animal behaviors. As an example, the Dakota and Lakota tribes call the November moon the Deer Rutting Moon and the Algonquin tribe name it the Whitefish Moon for the spawning time. Other Native American names are Frost and Freezing.
The November full moon will start to rise at 4:16 a.m. EST next Monday but it will seem full on Sunday as it rises after sunset and will still look full on Tuesday. So look east.
Check The Old Farmer’s Almanac for more Native American moon names.
Other names are seasonal. The Cree and Assiniboine peoples call it the Freezing Moon and Frost Moon. For more Beaver info visit Time and Date which notes that beavers are nocturnal, so like the full moon’s light.
Other Native American names for the November Full Moon are Frost Moon and the Freezing Moon.
For good graphics visit EarthSky.
