Second supermoon of year this week in Okanagan, Kamloops

November’s full moon on Wednesday is a supermoon and will orbit closer to Earth than any other full moon this year.

The moon’s orbit around the Earth isn’t a perfect circle, so it gets nearer and farther as it swings around. A so-called supermoon happens when a full moon is closer to Earth in its orbit.

That makes the moon look up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than the faintest moon of the year, according to NASA.

It’s the closest of three supermoons this year and will appear full on both Tuesday and Wednesday night, but it will reach peak illumination at 5:19 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5.

There was supermoon in October and the last one of year will be in December.

This month’s full moon is also called the Beaver Moon, according to The Old Farmers Almanac. It’s named after beavers taking shelter in lodges this time of year and historically it was the time to trap beavers for pelts during the fur trade in North America.

No special equipment is needed to view the supermoon if skies are clear although the change in the moon’s size can be tough to discern with the naked eye.

For viewers in the Kamloops area, the Environment Canada forecast calls for cloudy periods with a 60% chance of showers Tuesday night, and cloudy periods on Wednesday night.

In the Okanagan, the weather office is predicting periods of rain Tuesday night, and cloudy with 60% chance of showers Wednesday night.

Moon watchers will want to bundle up with chilly temperatures in the forecast for both nights.

— With files from The Associated Press