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How To See November’s Extra-Close ‘Supermoon’

By Melissa Sevigny
Published: Thursday, November 10, 2016 - 3:32pm
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Bill Ingalls/NASA
A perigee full moon or "supermoon" is seen on Aug. 10, 2014, in Washington.

An unusually bright “supermoon” will appear in the sky Sunday night and Monday morning.

The moon’s at its fullest just before dawn Monday morning — but it also will look spectacular as it rises Sunday night, with mountains or buildings on the skyline making it seem extra-large.

It will be bigger and brighter than usual. That’s because it’s a perigee moon, the astronomical term for when the moon is nearest to Earth in its orbit. When perigee coincides with a full moon, it’s called a “supermoon.”

There are usually several supermoons each year. This one is special. The moon’s making its closest approach to our planet since 1948, and it won’t be this close again for another 18 years.

Science