ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Pakistan witnessed the Beaver Supermoon, the country’s first supermoon of 2025, tonight, as the celestial event lit up skies worldwide, including Pakistan.
The Beaver Supermoon was the closest, biggest, and brightest full moon of the year, and reached peak illumination at 6:19 pm, according to the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco).
The Suparco said the supermoon, at its nearest point, was at a distance of 356,980 kilometres from Earth, appearing 7.9 per cent larger and 16 per cent brighter than an average full Moon due to its proximity at perigee.
The moon’s distance from Earth varies between perigee (closest to Earth) and apogee (farthest), and when a full moon is at perigee or close to perigee, it becomes a supermoon, the national space agency said.
Earlier in a statement, the Suparco added that compared to a full moon at apogee, a full moon at perigee can appear up to 14 per cent larger and 30pc brighter, though the change is subtle to the naked eye.
“It is the second in a trio of consecutive supermoons (October, November, December 2025) and will be visible worldwide, including Pakistan, offering a breathtaking view in the night sky.”
According to the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the name emerges from the Maine Farmer’s Almanack, which first published Native American names for the full moons in the 1930s.
“According to this almanack, the Native American tribes of what is now the northern and eastern United States named this the Beaver Moon,” NASA says on its website.
