Monday's supermoon will be the biggest and brightest for nearly 70 years

It will be 30% brighter than a normal full moon.

Published 8th Nov 2016

This year ends with three supermoons in a row, but the one this Monday is the biggest yet.

A supermoon occurs when the moon is full and closer to the Earth so it appears bigger in the sky.

This month's supermoon will appear 14% larger in the sky and 30% brighter to observers on the ground, so it will be quite spectacular.

While supermoons do happen fairly often - we've already had four this year - ones as big and bright as the one on the 14th November are very rare.

In fact, the last time we had such a big supermoon was in 1948 and the next time will be in 18 years!

So why is it going to be so big? It's all down to the fact that the moon will be closest to the Earth within just 2.5 hours of it turning full, as long as it isn't cloudy (fingers crossed) then it should be worth a look, especially if you view it when it is just above the horizon.

The best time to view it in the UK is at 4.45pm on Monday when the Moon will be low. Viewed 'next' to the trees and buildings on the horizon the supermoon will look even bigger.

If you're interested in the science behind it then NASA have produced a short video which you can watch below.