What you need to know about the biggest supermoon in 68 years

The largest, brightest supermoon since 1948 to rise this weekend.

This Sunday night's supermoon will be a little bigger and a little brighter than normal.

That's because on that day the Moon will be closer to Earth than it's been in nearly 69 years.

The term supermoon has made its way into pop culture over the past few years to describe a full moon that appears larger and brighter than normal.

The reason for this rare proximity is due mostly to the fact that the Moon's orbit around Earth isn't a perfect circle but instead is slightly elliptical. On average, this orbit is 238,900 miles (384,400 km) away, but it's about 5% closer to Earth at perigee and 5% farther away at apogee.

According to NASA, if you miss Sunday night's supermoon, you will have to wait until Nov. 25, 2034, to see a supermoon appear this large again. To see it for yourself, just head outside after sunset Sunday night, or anytime before sunrise Monday morning.