The November supermoon is one of the most-awaited celestial events this year, with the moon expected to be the biggest and brightest since almost 70 years.
The supermoon already made an appearance in some parts of the world on Nov. 13, and people had already captured photographs. Here are some of the stunning photos.
Moonrise over the Syr Darya river, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016, #Baikonur, #Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls) #notsupermoonyet #moon pic.twitter.com/UC9PZUrNLN
— Bill Ingalls (@ingallsimages) November 13, 2016
@nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/yXDveLpxXL — Jorge Obando, CMT (@sportsmassa) November 13, 2016
#supermoon2016 from va beach @Piclogy @B_Ubiquitous @StormHour @yourtake @universetoday @weatherchannel pic.twitter.com/6ZmfEmPT5N
— streeter (@STREETERPETER) November 14, 2016
Tonights moonrise in Bournemouth was rather special #mycanon #canon #moonrise #supermoon #supermoon2016 #thelensbible pic.twitter.com/qUAm4EUulF — MattHardyPhotography (@MHardy_Photo) November 13, 2016
Coyotes don't always howl at the moon, but they did tonight! #Supermoon2016 #Supermoon pic.twitter.com/ehHZgjCEOt
— YellowstoneNPS (@YellowstoneNPS) November 14, 2016
Slam Dunk. I've caught the #Supermoon - no one can have it!
But despite the craze, some said that the supermoon had appeared quite similar to other full moons in the past and was fairly "imperceptible," Universe Today reports. In fact, according to a report, the closest full moon in 2017 will only be 0.02 percent farther away than November's supermoon.
What is a supermoon?
A supermoon occurs when the moon is at its closest point of approach in its orbit around the world. According to NASA, the term supermoon became popular in recent years, referring to a new or full moon that is within 90 percent of its closest approach to the planet, which makes it appear 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter in the sky.
Since the moon's orbit is elliptical, one side (perigee) is about 30,000 mils closer to Earth than the other (apogee). When the Earth, sun and the moon line up as the moon orbits the Earth (syzygy), and the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun (perigee-syzygy), a perigee moon or supermoon occurs.
The Nov. 14 full moon will be the closest since 1948, and the next time the full moon will come this close again will be on Nov. 25, 2034.
The November supermoon is also called Beaver Moon, as it arrives at the time of year when hunters are said to be setting traps on the swamps before they froze over to make sure they will have enough furs to cover up for the winter.
Where to see it
Stargazers could catch the supermoon on Nov. 14 at 8:52 a.m. EST. To get a better view of the moon, it is recommended to go to the top floor of a building during dusk, facing east.