Check Out The Beaver Moon Early Monday Morning

Tonight and early Monday morning will provide something for skywatchers to get up early for. November's full moon has a strange name; it's known as the beaver moon. That's certainly an odd name for a full moon. The name comes from the fact that beavers are typically busy little guys building dams for the winter when it rises into the sky.The moon will be at its fullest at Monday at 4:30 AM Eastern time. The good news for those who don't want to get up at 4 AM to see the beaver moon, it will remain full from Saturday night until Tuesday morning. In some parts of the country, the beaver moon might be known as a cold moon, the mourning moon, or the frost moon.

The Beaver Moon is the last full moon before the winter solstice, which occurs on December 21. We mentioned yesterday that there is something else skywatchers can look forward to in the sky in some parts of the country late Sunday night into early Monday morning. There will be a lunar eclipse happening during those hours.

The lunar eclipse will start Sunday night at 11:32 PM and reach its maximum at 1:42 AM on Monday. It will be over by 3:53 AM Monday morning. Some parts of the country with cloud cover will be unable to view the eclipse, and it's worth noting this is not a total lunar eclipse.

The eclipse is called a penumbral lunar eclipse, and the face of the moon won't completely darken. In other parts of the world, skywatchers will view a solar eclipse happening on December 14. The solar eclipse will not be seen in the United States.