Full Beaver Moon

November’s Beaver Moon is the last full moon of August.

Last night, it coincided with a prenumbral eclipse of the moon. That’s when the moon passes within the Earth’s shadow. A prenumbral eclipse is not as dramatic as a full eclipse of the sun, as the moon only gets a little darker as it passes within the prenumbra (Earth’s shadow).

The Old Farmer’s Almanac tells us that the “Full Beaver Moon” was the term used by native Americans who observed that the November full moon marked when beaver would retreat to their winter lodges, “having laid up sufficient stores of food for the long winter ahead.” It was also the time to trap beaver, as they would have a heavy winter pelt.

I arose early to photograph the full beaver moon and concluded, as I stood in my bathrobe, pajamas and slippers while scanning the western horizon, that surely the moon was named for the beaver, but not because they’d prepared for winter, but because they were smart enough to stay warm and cozy in their lodges and not stupid enough to get up before dawn to look at the moon.