Supermoon Misconception

Biggest Full Moon of 2011 (image: Celestia)

 

During the past few days, rumors associating  the March 19, 2011 “Supermoon” to some recent catastrophes were spreading all over different media like wild fire.

Again, we should not blame this largest full moon of the year for any natural disasters because it has nothing to do with those happenings. Tides will go higher than usual average tides along coastlines as a consequence of the moon’s gravitational pull, but nothing so significant that will cause a serious climatic disaster or anything for people to worry about like the tsunamis in Japan. These tsunamis were caused by earthquakes which were definitely not triggered by the Moon’s attraction.

The following links features helpful articles which debunks the idea of this junk pseudoscience.

• Did a supermoon cause the March 11 earthquake in Japan?
• Biggest Full Moon in 19 years
• Biggest Full Moon in 19 Years Will Make Your Night Brighter, More Romantic Than Usual
• The Supermoon Illusion
  
• Is the March 19th Full Moon an “Extreme Super Moon”?
  
• No, the “supermoon” didn’t cause Japanese earthquake

Remember, the Supermoon is not a thing to be scared of rather, it is a spectacle to be enjoyed.

Watch out as the lunar disk rises above the eastern horizon after sunset at 18:10 UT. This will present a stunning sight with the naked eye, in binoculars, and through the camera viewfinder for those of you lucky enough to have a clear sky.

 

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