For the first time in 33 years, star gazers will be able to witness one of the rarest spectacles of the lunar cycle in the early hours of Monday morning.
A supermoon eclipse will occur between 2am and 4am and it will be visible from your back stoep.
This rare phenomenon has only taken place five times since 1900, the last time in 1982.
It will only happen again in 2033.
A supermoon occurs when a new or full moon is at its closest to the Earth. During its natural orbit, the moon is sometimes closer to the Earth than at other times.
When it is farthest away, it is called ‘apogee’ and when it’s closest it’s known as ‘perigee’.
Early on Monday morning, we will have a perigee full moon, the closest the moon will be all year.
The resulting “supermoon” will look 30 percent brighter and 14 times larger than when at apogee, the farthest point — which is about 49,800 kilometres (31,000 miles) from perigee.
Unusually, our planet will take position in a straight line between the Moon and the Sun, blotting out the direct sunlight that usually makes our satellite glow whitish-yellow.
But some light will still creep around Earth’s edges and be filtered through its atmosphere, casting an eerie red light that creates the “blood moon”.
