I am no astronomer, but there has always been something captivating about the moon to me. I guess because, unlike the sun, which is hot and powerful, the moon seems to rest quietly and unassumingly.

Others like myself, obviously, also have been intrigued by this satellite that orbits the earth and have even gone so far as to write stories and tunes about it.

There is the song “Blue Moon,” which is a classic sung by many including Ella Fitzgerald and Elvis Presley, “Dancing in the Moonlight” by the Kings Harvest, and Cat Stevens’ “Moon Shadow.”

Margaret Wise Brown wrote a little child’s book about the moon, “Good Night Moon.” This tale has become a classic and is so popular more than 800,000 copies are sold annually.

Then, of course, there is the Mother Goose nursery rhymes we all learned when we were young, like, “Hey, diddle, diddle, the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon.”

And if it was not enough for the moon to inspire those in the arts, the moon has always been a motivating influence for those who love science.

On July 16, 1969, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) landed Apollo 11 on the moon and astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to ever step foot on its surface. More than half a billion people watched including my family.

I still remember my parents waking my brother and me up to watch that historic moment.

So for those of us who like the moon for whatever reason, rather it be for solace, inspiration, romance or just plain old stargazing, a supermoon is set to occur on Monday.

What is a supermoon? I was not sure myself until I did some research.

According to Astrologer Richard Nolle, a supermoon is a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near within 90 percent of its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit, which means the Earth, moon and sun are all in a line, with the moon in its nearest approach to Earth.

By this definition, however, that means there are four to six supermoons a year on average, but the supermoon on Monday is different. The 2016 November full moon will be the moon’s closest encounter with Earth in more than 68 years, since January 26, 1948.

I am happy to say, I was not around in 1948, so I figure that if I want a chance at seeing this marvel, I had better make sure and remember to step outside on Sunday, because the next time a supermoon is set to happen is in 2034.

Hopefully, I will still be around in 18 years, but I sure don’t want to take any chances.

See you outside.

Terri Cowart Frazier is a staff writer at The Vicksburg Post. Reach her at terri.frazier@vicksburgpost.com. Readers are invited to submit their opinions for publication.