NEW YORK: If you step outside on November 14, you might notice the moon is looking bigger and brighter than usual. The supermoon will also be visible in Pakistan and India.

Bigger in fact, than it has appeared at any point in the last 68 years, say scientists.

This month’s supermoon, the penultimate of the year, will be the biggest so far of the 21st century.

We won’t see it’s like again until 2034, so make sure you get a look.

When and where to see?

Moon spotters in Asia are perhaps the best placed to catch the moon at its absolute largest, with full moon occurring at 9:52 p.m. Hong Kong time, or 7:22 p.m. in India and around 6:52 pm in Pakistan.

For viewers in eastern North America and Europe, the best view will likely be on the night of November 13, or the following night.

Early risers on the US West Coast should be able to spot it near its fullest at 5:52 a.m. PST, as the sun does not rise in that region until 6:25 a.m.

While the moon will likely be visible throughout the day (depending on cloud coverage), supermoons are best viewed at night, away from sources of light pollution.

Why so super

The moon’s orbit is elliptical, leaving one side (perigee) 30,000 miles closer to earth than the other (apogee), according to NASA.

When the earth, sun and moon line up as the moon orbits the planet it’s called syzygy.

When perigee-syzygy of the Earth-moon-sun system occurs and the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun, we get a perigee moon or more commonly, a supermoon.

A supermoon can be as much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter than normal.

This year will see three such occurences. The last was October 16 and the next December 14. But November’s showing is poised to be the most spectacular. – Samaa/Agencies