The year 2016 has been full of surprises, from political to space issues, but with only two months until it ends, the 2016 skies will give aficionados a spectacle of a lifetime. After the supermoon on Oct. 14, two more will come in November and December, the former being one of the biggest supermoons in 69 years,
According to NASA, the full moon on Nov. 14 will be the closest the moon has been to Earth in the 21st century. This rare lunar event will only again happen on Nov. 25, 2034. Meanwhile, the last supermoon on Dec. 14 will also be special as it will "wipe out the view of the Geminid meteor shower" due to the moon's increased brightness.
For those aiming to get a glimpse of the November supermoon, also called "Beaver Moon," Space.com reports that the supermoon will arrive at its closest point or perigee to Earth at 6:15 a.m. EST at only 221,524 miles from our planet. Then, after two hours and 37 minutes, the moon will officially turn full.
Also, just before 5 p.m. on Nov. 14, stargazers will get a chance to experience the "moon illusion" where the moon will look exceptionally bigger than its usual size, specifically 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter.
However, some argue that despite the craze on the November supermoon, experts say that there will not really be much different from the naked eye. "There is something called a supermoon. I don't know who first called it a supermoon. I don't know, but if you have a 16-inch pizza, would you call that a super pizza compared with a 15-inch pizza?" said Neil deGrasse, director of New York's Hayden Planetarium.
However, stargazers who still want to catch this exceptional lunar event are advised to go to a high place, such as the rooftop of a building, during dusk while facing east or catch the live broadcast of the Slooh Community at Nov. 13, 8 p.m. EST (0100 GMT on Nov. 14).
Make sure to also bring your camera to snap a photo of the November supermoon. NASA senior photographer Bill Ingalls previously shared some tips on how to get an exceptional photo of the supermoon, saying in a press release, "Don't make the mistake of photographing the moon by itself with no reference to anything. I've certainly done it myself, but everyone will get that shot. Instead, think of how to make the image creative that means tying it into some land-based object. It can be a local landmark or anything to give your photo a sense of place," Ingalls added.