Full moon in November

By Alexander Merz · Updated on 15 October 2026 · Details checked on 16 October 2026

All times apply to Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The exact time is the moment when the Moon and the Sun stand exactly opposite each other as seen from Earth – a precise instant, not a whole day.

More in our overview: Full Moon Calendar.

And if you want to see more than the bright disc: in November the full moon rides high and lights up the long nights almost from dusk to dawn – the worst time for faint galaxies, the best time for the Moon itself. Which instrument suits it is explained in our buying guide to observing the Moon; for a broader start, see our big buying guide Best telescopes.

Full moon in November 2026 in numbers

How the full moon sits in the sky in November

The November full moon is high in the sky again and stays above the horizon for a long time. In the long nights it dominates the sky and almost completely outshines fainter stars.

On 24 November 2026 the exact full moon (15:53) falls almost at sunset: in Berlin the Moon rises at 15:18 and the Sun sets at 16:02. The actual full-moon night is therefore the night of 24 to 25 November, with moonset on the morning of the 25th at 09:17.

In Cologne the Moon rises a good half hour later, in Vienna a good ten minutes later. To the naked eye it also looks full on the night before (rising on the 23rd at 14:46) and the night after (rising on the 25th at 16:06).

A lovely sight in the early evening: around 17:00 the full moon stands only about three degrees from the Pleiades in Taurus, and by 19:00 the gap grows to a little over four degrees. Even a simple pair of binoculars such as the Celestron 10 x 50 UpClose G2 Binoculars*Celestron UpClose G2 10x50 Porro Binoculars* (for $51.95€ 62) shows the dark maria and the bright rays around the crater Tycho, which are clearest at full moon.

For craters with shadows, a telescope is more rewarding a few days before or after (see below).

Beaver Moon – where the name comes from

In November beavers finish their lodges, and in earlier times beaver traps were set during these weeks – the Beaver Moon. The old German name Nebelung, fog month, speaks for itself.

The full-moon names in use today almost all come from North America and became popular through US almanacs. The German-speaking world had its own month names: November was called Nebelung or Windmond. Both traditions mean the same thing – an attempt to anchor the course of the year in what is actually happening outdoors.

Is the November 2026 full moon a supermoon?

Yes. At 360,765 km it falls below the commonly used limit of 361,578 km and appears about six per cent larger than a full moon at average distance. Compared with the smallest full moon of the year on 31 May (406,135 km), the difference is a good twelve per cent.

Whether it is the first or the second supermoon of the year depends on the definition: by this strict limit it is the first, while by the broader interpretation, which our supermoon overview also follows, the full moon of 3 January already counts. The Moon comes even closer on Christmas Eve than in November.

You cannot see the difference with the naked eye anyway. The Moon looks bigger mainly when it is low on the horizon – an illusion created by our brain, not a matter of distance. On 24 November you can combine both: the Moon rises shortly before sunset and sits low in the east during twilight.

New moon in November 2026: the dark nights

New moon is on Monday, 9 November 2026, at 08:02 CET. Around this date the sky is free of moonlight – the best week of the month for galaxies and nebulae.

A rewarding target now is the Andromeda Galaxy, which stands almost straight overhead in the evening, together with the Double Cluster h and χ in Perseus. All further dates are on our new moon page.

The worthwhile dates are often months apart – and easily forgotten. So that you do not miss any of them:

What else is happening in the sky in November 2026

In the evening sky, around 17:19, Saturn stands about 21° high in the east-southeast. Before sunrise, around 06:23, Mars is about 52° high in the south, Jupiter about 51° high in the south and Venus about 13° high in the southeast. The figures apply to mid-month and to Berlin.

On the morning of 16 November, Mars and Jupiter pass only a little over one degree apart – both then fit into the same binocular field. On 21 November Mercury reaches its greatest western elongation of 19.6° – the best chance of this apparition to catch it low in the east shortly before sunrise.

On the night of 25 to 26 November, Uranus is at opposition to the Sun (25 November, 23:41 CET). Unfortunately the Moon has only just been full – a few nights later Uranus is easier to find with binoculars.

Shooting stars this month:

• Leonids, peak around 17 November, up to 15 meteors per hour under ideal skies. The Moon is 55 per cent illuminated that night. The Moon interferes somewhat, but it gets better in the second half of the night.

An overview of the whole year is given by the Full Moon Calendar, and all shooting-star dates are in the meteor shower calendar.

Full moon in November 2027

Next year the November full moon comes earlier: on Sunday, 14 November 2027, at 04:25 CET. The Moon will then be 378,765 km away – closer than average, but not a supermoon.

Observing the full moon – an honest note

As beautiful as the full moon is to the naked eye: in a telescope it is least interesting in exactly this phase. Because the Sun shines straight down onto the lunar surface, the shadows are missing, and craters look flat. You see considerably more a few days before or after full moon along the day-night boundary, the so-called terminator.

If you still want to look at the full moon through a telescope, you should use a moon filter – without one the glare is uncomfortable.

For 1.25-inch eyepieces the Apertura 1.25" Moon Filter*Omegon Premium Moon Filter 1.25″* (for $14.95€ 19.90) is all you need – a more expensive filter brings nothing at this point. There is more on this in our buying guide to observing the Moon.

Long nights, high Moon: astrophotos without prior knowledge: ZWO Seestar S30 Pro Smart Telescope

ZWO's benchmark smart telescope: a polished app, mosaic mode and stunning results in minutes.

Price: € 699

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Frequently asked questions

When is the full moon in November 2026?

On Tuesday, 24 November 2026 at 15:53 CET.

What is the full moon in November called?

Beaver Moon. In November beavers finish their lodges, and in earlier times beaver traps were set during these weeks – the Beaver Moon. The old German name Nebelung, fog month, speaks for itself.

Is the full moon in November 2026 a supermoon?

Yes. At 360,765 km it is below the commonly used limit of 361,578 km. In 2026 only the full moon on 24 December (356,738 km) comes closer.

When is the new moon in November 2026?

On Monday, 9 November 2026, at 08:02 CET.

How far away is the Moon in November 2026?

360,765 km at the moment of full moon. As a result it appears 33.1 arcminutes across. That makes it a supermoon.

When does the Moon rise on 24 November 2026?

In Berlin at 15:18, shortly before sunset (16:02). It stays above the horizon until 09:17 on the morning of 25 November.

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