Beaver supermoon: When and where to see the biggest full moon of 2025 in Czechia

Stargazers across the Czechia and much of Europe will have a chance to witness the largest and brightest supermoon of 2025 on Wednesday evening and Thursday night. The so-called Beaver Moon will reach its fullest and closest point to Earth this year, creating a striking sight for night sky watchers.

The supermoon will occur Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 2:20 p.m. local time, and become visible above the Czech Republic around 4 p.m. It will reach its best viewing conditions on Thursday night, when it rises high above the horizon in the constellation Taurus, according to the Brno Observatory and Planetarium.

At that time, the Moon will be 356,832 kilometers from Earth, close enough to make it appear about 15 percent larger than the smallest full moon of the year, which occurred in May. While the difference may sound dramatic, it’s subtle to the naked eye and best appreciated through binoculars or telescopes, Novinky.cz writes.

The term supermoon refers to a full moon that occurs when the Moon is near its closest point to Earth, known as perigee. The word itself is not an official astronomical term; it was first coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979. The Moon’s orbit around Earth is elliptical, meaning its distance varies from about 356,500 to 406,700 kilometers.

Weather conditions are expected to be mostly favorable for viewing. The ALADIN forecast model by the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute predicts clear skies across most of the country, though fog or low clouds could form in western Bohemia and the Vysočina region. Temperatures may drop near freezing, so observers are advised to bundle up.

For people interested in seeing the night sky, the Štefánik Observatory (Štefánikova hvězdárna) on Petřín Hill is open from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The staff find various planets and other visible objects in the sky.