You may have noticed that the moon is looking a little more full and a bit closer than usual, probably because it is. The moon is approaching its closest position to the Earth as it approaches the point in its orbit called perigee. It’s also reaching the point in its phase where it will be full.

This means come Dec. 3 when the moon will be full, and when it will reach perigee, will be what’s commonly known as the “Supermoon” or the “Super full moon.” The moon will appear larger than usual thanks to its proximity.

The moon will become full at 10:47 a.m. EST Sunday. To get a glimpse of the supermoon you’ll want to check it out either early Sunday morning when it’s still dark out or Sunday evening into Monday morning. Depending on where you are, the exact time of fullness will vary a bit, but you can check it on the Old Farmer’s Almanac website. Usually the best time to see the moon is when it’s just rising and is close to the horizon line. When it’s hanging low in the sky it might also end up with a red or golden color to it as the light reflecting off of its surface passes through layers of the atmosphere before reaching your eyes.

The moon will rise at a different time depending on where you are. If you’re in the United States the sun will rise between about 4:45 p.m. EST and 5:55 p.m. The closer to the equator you are, the later it will rise. You can check the exact time of moonrise in your location online to be sure to catch it just after it rises.

The December full moon isn’t always the supermoon as well, so it’s usual name is the “Full Cold Moon,” or the “Long Nights Moon” due to the time of year during which it falls. The cold and long winter nights have usually set in by the time the December full moon happens. When the December full moon occurs later in the month it happens close to the winter solstice, the longest night of the year.

This year the super full moon will actually look about seven percent larger than the usual full moon does, according to Time and Date. Additionally, it will appear about 16 percent brighter than the usual full moon. Winter full moons appear larger than those that occur during the summer too, this happens in the Northern Hemisphere because the sun’s gravity is pulling the moon closer to the Earth as well.

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