Supermoon
About
Full Supermoon
Full moons happen every month, but a handful each year coincide with the Moon's closest approach to Earth — perigee — making them appear slightly larger and noticeably brighter. The Beaver Moon on November 24, 2026, is one of three consecutive supermoons closing out the year, and it comes with a rare bonus: the Moon passes in front of the Pleiades star cluster in an occultation visible across much of the world, briefly swallowing the "Seven Sisters" before releasing them on the other side.
A supermoon's extra size is subtle to the naked eye — about 7% wider than an average full moon — but the brightness difference, and especially the famous "moon illusion" near the horizon, make moonrise the moment to watch. Time your evening around moonrise rather than the Moon's peak height in the sky. That is when it looks largest against foreground landmarks, and when photographs turn out most dramatic.
Best Places to Experience
Full Supermoon
Dark-sky destinations that pair well with this celestial moment.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia
Watching the supermoon rise opposite the rock at sunset — Uluru glowing red in one direction, the Moon rising gold in the other — is one of the great paired sights in the Red Centre.
Sedona, Arizona
Boynton Canyon's red-rock silhouettes make a dramatic foreground for a rising supermoon, especially from an elevated viewpoint at dusk.
Death Valley National Park, California
The valley's vast, flat horizon gives the rising Moon room to climb slowly out of the badlands, magnified by the moon illusion.
La Palma, Canary Islands
An Atlantic horizon to the east means the supermoon rises directly out of the ocean, with almost nothing to interrupt the view.
Where to Stay
Resorts and lodges suited for turning the event into a full night-sky trip.
Longitude 131°, Uluru — luxury tented pavilions with private daybeds facing the rock, timed perfectly for a paired sunset-and-moonrise view.
Enchantment Resort, Boynton Canyon, Sedona — canyon-wall casitas with private stargazing sessions led by a resident astronomer, framed by the canyon's red-rock walls.
The Inn at Death Valley, Furnace Creek — a historic AAA Four-Diamond desert resort with ranger-led astronomy nights and an open horizon in every direction.
Hotel Hacienda de Abajo, Tazacorte — an adults-only 17th-century plantation estate on La Palma's coast, with an ocean horizon to the east.
What to Do
• Moonrise viewing session — a guide times your evening to the exact moment of moonrise for the most dramatic view against the landscape.
• Sunset-to-moonrise dinner — many destinations offer a sunset dinner timed to end just as the supermoon clears the horizon opposite.
• Pleiades occultation watch — with binoculars, follow the Moon as it passes in front of the Pleiades cluster and watch the stars reappear on the other side.
• Long-exposure moon photography — a hands-on lesson in balancing the Moon's brightness against a darkening landscape.
What to Bring
• Binoculars — for tracking the Pleiades occultation and picking out lunar surface detail.
• A tripod — moonrise photography rewards a steady, long exposure as the light changes quickly.
• Warm layers — evenings cool quickly once the sun is down, even in desert climates.
• A compass or map app — to confirm exactly where the Moon will rise relative to your foreground landmark.
Your Night, Hour by Hour
How the night unfolds, from first dark to first light
FIRST
Before Sunset: Find Your Horizon
The best moment of this supermoon is moonrise, not the exact full phase at 9:53 a.m. EST, when the moon sits below the horizon for most of North America. Look up your local moonrise time for November 23 or 24, either evening works, and arrive early at a spot with a clear, low view to the east.
NEXT
Moonrise: The Biggest It Looks
The full moon clears the eastern horizon around sunset, looking enormous and often amber-orange as its light passes through thick air near the horizon. It measures about 6.5 percent larger than an average full moon, but the dramatic size at rising is the moon illusion. Your brain is comparing it to trees, hills, and buildings nearby.
THEN
The First Hour: Photograph the Climb
As the moon rises, it shifts from orange to silver-white. This is the window for photos: put a camera or phone on a tripod, frame the moon against a landmark, and use a longer lens to make it loom. Coastal viewers may notice slightly higher tides, a small but real effect of the moon's closer distance tonight.
FINALLY
Later in the Evening: Look Closer
With the moon high and bright, bring out binoculars. They reveal the dark lunar seas and the bright rays spraying out from the crater Tycho, detail the naked eye can't pick out. Tonight's moon is about 13.5 percent brighter than average and the first of three straight supermoons; December 24's will be the closest of the year.
Make the most of this dark-sky event.