This is the big one. While supermoons happen a few times a year based on the moon's elliptical orbit, the one that will rise over Toronto on November 14th will be the biggest the Earth has seen since all the way back in 1948 (that's almost 70 years).

In fact, we're actually going to get two monster moonrises from this event based the timing of the moon reaching fullness. The precise moment when the moon becomes full is 8:52 a.m. next Monday, which means that it will appear full to the human eye on both November 13th and 14th.

What you're likely to notice most about this extra big moon is actually its brightness. This moon will appear roughly 30 per cent brighter than a full moon at apogee (its furthest point from Earth).

That said, it will also appear absolutely massive if you catch it in the moments when it rises above the horizon. "When the moon is near the horizon, it can look unnaturally large when viewed through trees, buildings, or other foreground objects," explains NASA. "The effect is an optical illusion, but that fact doesn't take away from the experience."

Watch for the moon to rise over Toronto in the east northeastern sky at 4:46 p.m. on November 13th and 5:30 p.m. on November 14th. You might also be able to catch the huge moonset on the morning of the 14th in the west northwest for a cool display that's even closer to the moment of perigee.

While this is the second in a string of three consecutive supermoons, it'll be 18 years until a moon so bright and big will return to the night sky. Make sure to catch this spectacular celestial event.

Photo by Sanjin Avdicevic in the blogTO Flickr pool.