The full moon today is the last of a trifecta of supermoons for 2016. Normally the astronomical event takes place once a year.

The December supermoon isn't as close to planet earth as the November one was, but on a clear night it will still appear up to 14 per cent bigger in the sky and 30 per cent brighter than the average full moon.

Seeing moonrise just after sunset or moonset just before sunrise will be an impressive sight, as it will appear enormous compared to the surrounding landscape.

When the sun, the moon, and Earth line up as the moon orbits Earth, that's known as syzygy.

When this Earth-Moon-Sun system occurs with the perigee side of the moon facing us, and the moon happens to be on the opposite side of Earth from the sun, we get what's called a perigee-syzygy or supermoon for those who cannot spell or pronounce syzygy.

The November supermoon is famous for the Kaikoura earthquake, which happened on the same night – well two minutes after midnight on the same morning - and for the successful prediction from Weather Modification Watch NZ.

It wasn't really a prediction, more of a warning of a possible of a geological event in the south Pacific area because of crustal stresses affected by moon's closer path.

Nigel wrote on November 6: "Heads Up: On 14th November and a couple of days either side of that date, watch for a major earthquake, and quite possible in South Pacific area.

"The reason for this is that 14th of Nov will be a 'super moon” largest for this century (ie. moon closest to Earth on this date than it has been for a long time).

"This means it will be a period of increased gravitational pull from the moon.

"There was a recent large earthquake in Italy and as when one plate shifts it places stress on other plates, the chances of a big quake are higher for something down this end of the globe.

"Also geo-engineering is more likely to have success during this time and can be targeted on a specific area.

"This is just a possibility, but be alert, that's all I'm saying. Always be prepared with water supplies and even food supplies as is possible.

"Rice is a good food supply item because it lasts a long time and will keep people fed….and is relatively cheap.

"It can be bought in 5kg or 10kg bags from a supermarket for usually $10 to $20. Stay safe."

He has since deleted the post, but it still making a general warning.

Since the Kaikoura quake a month ago, there have been the ‘slow slip' earthquake stories from GNS Science.

A slow motion landslide has been happening along the North Island east coast along the plate boundary from Hawke's Bay up to East Cape.

The slow-slip events (or silent earthquakes) have made calculating the likelihood of future large aftershocks trickier.

'Although still very unlikely, we now estimate that the probability of a magnitude 7.8 or larger earthquake in the coming year has increased to about five per cent – due to ongoing slow-slip events,” says a GNS scientist Caroline Little.

Because of the large extent of slow slip, the adjusted forecast covers a larger region than the standard aftershock area to now include the lower half of the North Island and the upper South Island.

There are several faults in these areas capable of large quakes, including the subduction zone and crustal faults like those that ruptured during the Kaikoura earthquake.

'Our forecasts tell us what is likely (or unlikely) to happen in the future, but they can never definitively say if a large earthquake will occur or not. We're aware that these messages could be unsettling, and that's a very normal reaction.

'What we do want you to take away from this (and this applies to all New Zealanders, at all times—not only now) is to follow Civil Defence's advice and make sure that you're prepared for earthquakes and tsunamis. We know that being prepared makes a real difference in helping you get through an event and recovering afterward. Many of you have already got you and your family prepared, so well done you guys.”