Here's how to catch the supermoon today in India!

The largest, brightest full moon in nearly seven decades will be on display today, promising Earth-bound sky-watchers a celestial "supermoon" spectacle. Weather permitting, the phenomenon should appear at its most impressive at 1352 GMT (around 7:22PM IST), when it will be at its fullest just as night falls over Asia.

Provided there are no clouds and not too much light pollution, people should be able to see Earth's natural satellite loom unusually large over the horizon shortly after sunset, irrespective of where in the world they are.

How to watch it?

To experience the full effect of the supermoon, make sure you catch it when it is as low as possible to the horizon--preferably even touching it. At this point, the diffraction of the moonlight as it passes obliquely through the Earth’s atmosphere lends it the illusion of being larger than it is.

If you’re located in a city, find places that give you direct line of sight of the horizon--challenging as it may be. A long East-West facing highway or a patch of open ground, or even heading to the city outskirts would be ideal. If you happen to be in the countryside consider yourself lucky--you should have a more unfettered view of the moon.

What is a supermoon?

A supermoon occurs when the timing of a full moon overlaps with the point in the moon's 28-day orbit that is closest to Earth. About every 14th full moon is a supermoon, said University of Wisconsin astronomer Jim Lattis.

At closest approach, the moon will pass within 216,486 miles (348,400 km) of Earth's surface, about 22,000 miles (35,400 km) closer than average. The moon's distance from Earth varies because it is in an egg-shaped, not circular, orbit around the planet. If skies are clear, the upcoming full moon will appear up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than usual, making it what is called a supermoon, according to NASA.

"On November 14, it becomes full within about two hours of perigee -- arguably making it an extra-super Moon," NASA says on its website. The orbit itself is changeable, meaning the distance from Earth differs from one perigee to the next -- this time it will be the closest since 1948 at a distance of 356,509 kilometres (221,524 miles).  

Without foreknowledge, one might barely notice that the Moon appears brighter than usual, astronomers say. Once it is high in the sky, it would be hard to tell that the Moon is larger. But on the horizon, it could be quite spectacular.

Supermoons are actually quite common -- there is one every 14 months on average. "But some supermoons are more super than others," said Pascal Descamps of the Paris Observatory -- the closer the Earth the more so.

"If you want to try to image it, choose a location where you'll get some nice terrestrial feature in the foreground: a well-known landmark such as a tower or a spire will provide a nice comparison, particularly if you stay back a bit and use a zoom or telephoto lens which will magnify both objects," the IAA said.