On Monday night, the moon will be only 356,511 kilometers from the earth, causing it to appear 8% larger than usual.
The last time this happened was 68 years ago, in the year 1948.
Called a "super moon," Monday night's moon is rare in the fact that it is both full and close to the earth. It will seem 14% larger and 30% lighter than it usual.
The moon will be visible approximately fifteen minutes after sunset, at about 5pm. Moonrise is expected to be extremely impressive, since it will be occurring so close to the horizon. An optical illusion will cause the moon to appear larger than it really is, with a diameter 8% wider than average. When the moon has fully risen, it will appear brighter than usual.
"Super moon" is not a rare occurrence. It happened on October 16, and will happen again on December 14.
However, the "super moon" that will be visible on Monday night (November 14) is extremely rare. At its closest, the moon will be only 356,509 kilometers from the earth, instead of the 406,000 kilometers separation that happens when the moon is at its farthest.
The next time the moon will come so close to earth will be on November 25, 2034.