Make a comment

By Geoff Filipiak on March 17, 2011
Filed in Sci Tech

Although the moon will be its closest to Earth in 18 years, it shouldn't cause any earthquakes or tsunamis like the ones in Japan.

Well…not really, but I’m glad a got your attention.

Go outside this Saturday night and look at the full moon to find a rare sight.

A Supermoon.

Actually, it’s really called perigee-syzygy, but astrologer Richard Nolle coined the term “Supermoon” instead to explain when the moon is much closer to Earth than its average distance, which happens about six times a year.

The moon will be about 221,566 miles from the Earth on Saturday. The Moon’s distance varies each month between approximately 354,000 km (220,000 mi) and 410,000 km (254,000 mi).

Many people think that a “supermoon” can cause mass destruction, hurricanes, and natural disasters on earth, but the only thing that will really happen will be bigger tides, and a much larger looking moon in the sky, about 14% larger actually.

“I don’t know of any evidence that the tides or anything else related to the ‘supermoon’ can cause broader destruction,” said Michael Blanton, an astronomer at New York University. “The term ‘supermoon’ is not a term that astronomers actually use.”

Both Hurricane Katrina and the World Series Bay Area earthquake of 1989 happened during an appearance of the “supermoon” in the sky.

The moon will rise Saturday around 7:37 P.M. for the mid atlantic region and set at 6:42 A.M.

Currently it looks like it will be cloudy and rainy during the day Saturday, but skies should clear after sunset for everyone to get a look at the “supermoon”.