A supermoon arrives Thursday night – what NASA says is the biggest and brightest moon of the year. And at least one event in Minnesota will help you get great photographs of it.

The special moon occurs when it is as close to Earth in its lunar orbit as it ever gets, while also full. Known as a Hunter's Moon, this is the third supermoon this year. The next and final is Nov. 15. Thursday's supermoon will be closer than any other this year, and the clear weather forecast should help viewers take it in.

Mike Shaw, an astrophotographer and instructor from Maplewood, will host a meetup to watch and photograph the supermoon early Thursday night at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. He has organized the gathering for PhotoPills, a photo-planning app. PhotoPills has organized meetups at five other U.S. sites and more than three dozen internationally.

Shaw suggested people arrive about 6 p.m., with the moon on display about 6:45 p.m. to 7 p.m. The sun sets at 6:25 p.m.

"The weather looks great, so it should be quite a nice moonrise" over the Minneapolis skyline, Shaw said.

Participants are encouraged to bring a camera, tripod, and wide and/or telephoto lens (24-70 millimeters, or 100-500mm). A phone camera works, too, Shaw said.

People can also leave their cameras at home and come simply to enjoy the show.

"It will be a fun group, a community thing, and if some people go home with a great photo, even better," Shaw said. "The whole idea is to share the experience."