Fulllll Moon Tonight: ‘Supermoon’ Makes Closest Approach to Earth in Two Decades
- Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:25pm by
Emily Esfahani Smith
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You can almost reach out and touch it.
Tonight’s so-called “supermoon” will not only be a full moon, but the biggest and brightest moon that we’ve seen in some time. According to the AP, the “celestial phenomenon” will appear larger than usual “as it makes its closest approach to Earth in 18 years…On Saturday, the moon will be 221,565 miles away — the closest to Earth since March 1993.”
According to the Weather Chanel, though, “this weekend the moon will be closer to the earth than it has been in 25 years.”
The Weather Channel website explains the cause of the “supermoon”:
The March full moon will be the closest (to the Earth) and largest full moon of 2011. Why? It comes down to the fact that the Moon’s orbit around the Earth is not a perfect circle, it’s an ellipse in fact.
One side of the Moon’s orbit is actually roughly 31,000 miles closer to Earth than the other side of its orbit.
When the Moon’s orbit takes it the farthest away from Earth, the Moon is at its apogee. When it makes its closest approach, the Moon is at its perigee.
So not only will we have a full Moon on March 19 but the Moon will also be at its perigee. This means that the Moon will appear big in the night sky and it will be very bright; a sight to see for sure!
According to experts, the presence of the “supermoon” is nothing to fear. Though it will bring a range of low and high tides, it will not cause any natural disasters, as the superstition goes, nor will it summon the werewolves from their slumber:
Predictions of major disasters due to the extreme supermoon are simply not true. Yes, an historic earthquake and resultant devastating tsunami struck Japan on March 11. And yet another major natural disaster may very well occur on March 19 but it won’t be because of the Moon. The most significant impact from the perigee moon will be the Perigean tides.
According to NASA and NOAA, a perigee Moon brings with it extra-high “perigean tides” but this is nothing to worry about. In most places, lunar gravity at perigee pulls tide waters only a few centimeters (an inch or so) higher than usual. Local geography can amplify the effect to about six inches.
The Weather Channel has some tips about when to moon-watch tonight.
The best time to take a look at this full, perigee moon is when the moon is located near the horizon on the evening of March 19. Direct your eyes to the eastern horizon during the 7 and 8 o’clock hour. Per science.nasa.gov, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects for reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists.
It should be a sight of beauty to behold.






















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Comments (93)
Fina Biscotti
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:00amThe Super Moon is SPECIAL.
Report Post »pwatkins
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 1:27amHope Madhi the moon god don’t drop to earth while it is so close.
Report Post »todd45040
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 1:19amFor goodness sakes, get a better image of the moon than the one you’ve used for this page. The image doesn’t do the story any justice. It’s terrible. Other than that, carry on.
This is a wonderful website. Keep up the great work.
~Todd
Report Post »dontbotherme
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 12:12amDang. It’s raining here. All night long. Will totally miss this.
Report Post »flatbroke
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 10:13pmwerewolves, vampires, bigfoot, la chupracabra, bring em all on , we have every other color of madness going on down here.
Report Post »dontbotherme
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 12:14amFlatbroke: What is a chupracabra?
Report Post »Bluestraveler
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 10:13pmIs there anything Global Warming can’t do?
Report Post »random357
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 9:51pmSome how, what ever happens will be President Bush’s fault.
Report Post »donh2
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 9:39pmBeware the Ides of March.
Report Post »marine249
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 9:35pmgee are we going to bump into it
Report Post »chips1
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 9:27pmLon Chaney Jr. “When to moon is full, I turn into a wolf.”
Report Post »Lou Costello “You and 40,000 other guys”
chips1
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 9:22pmGONESURFING:
Report Post »Heard the same info. The window is March 19 thru 26th. The 1964 and 1989 quakes were the result of the moon at its closest to earth and the gravity pull affects us greatly. Standby California. I’ll send you some bottled water. (OOPS. I meant AGUA)
chickenfried
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 8:23pmSUPERMOON
I wish I was on it right now.
Report Post »Islesfordian
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:44pmThis is the third unique occurence this liturgical year. Last december there was a full lunar ecclipse on the winter’s solstice. Now this really full moon on the eve of the vernal equinox, and Easter, which is controlled by the lunar calendar, won’t be this late for 17 years. It hasn’t been this late since 1943.
Report Post »LockeStep
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:39pmDoes this mean the werewolves will be extra active tonight :-S
Report Post »donh2
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:22pm…..and on the same day the New World Order attacks Libya…. land where pre Islamic people Worshipped moon goddess Neith…a goddess of War….. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neith
Report Post »vennoye
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:13pmYou could already see it in the sky last night right before sundown and it was huge and beautiful….tonight should be great!
Report Post »Psychosis
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:56pmif you look closely at around 7:30 you will be able to see a sight we have not been able to see for yrs…………….. EX-SPEAKER PELOSI RIDING HOME ON HER BROOM
Report Post »FGWinFLA
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 8:19pmI should not have read your post with a mouth full of soda. After I stop laughing, I’ll clean it up.
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 8:48pmDoes her broom need gas, or does she supply it?
Report Post »hannahh
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 9:43pmI was gonna take a look but that sight frightened me!
Report Post »ThoreauHD
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:52pmGee, I hope California doesn’t have a horrible earthquake where millions die. That would be terrible.
Report Post »Psychosis
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:58pmI HOPE THEY JUST GET A HUGE EARTHQUAKE AND FLOAT OUT TO SEA……….. no casualties needed it will just be liberating to the rest of the continent
and they can keep all their pet illegal aliens to boot !!!!!
Report Post »Diane TX
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 1:12am@ PSYCHOSIS
The can call their new island Cali-Mexico. I hope that Nancy Pelosi’s district is in the part that floats away.
Report Post »anutter
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:51pmGet your cameras out kiddies, It’s gonna be beautiful. Moonrise 8:10 here tonight.
Report Post »TumbleBumble
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:11pmI am really looking forward to it.
Report Post »Catharsis
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:43pmNeat.
Report Post »right-wing-waco
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:35pmThe sky is falling. Helllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllp. Should be very interesting and you can take some good pictures using a tripod & telephoto lense.
Report Post »Clear skys,
Showtime
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:19pmI charged the battery of my camera last night for that reason.
Report Post »Going to go watch the moon. I feel hair growing on my arms and hands. Oh! My breathing is getting heavy. Clothes are tightening!
82dAirborne
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 8:13pm@Showtime
Report Post »And I thought this was a PG-13 website!!!!!
Showtime
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 8:42pm@82dAirborne
Report Post »Posted on March 19, 2011 at 8:13pm
@Showtime
And I thought this was a PG-13 website!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, 13 is my lucky number!
PA PATRIOT
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 9:52amIt was an awesome sight here. Big and bright as she usually is. My kids said they could see the lunar modular and were searching for golf balls! “-/-”
Report Post »Mike Whittington
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:35pmLet‘s just hope it doesn’t scare the wrong person and they shoot a Tomahawk at it….
http://www.ISeeDanger.com
Report Post »cheezwhiz
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:31pmSomeone lock up Biden and keep an eye on him
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:34pmHey Cheez,
Report Post »I read a post from Showtime, she said she is out of here, I hope not. Also, I see a lot of other regulars are saying they are getting fed up with posts being deleted. What is your take on this.
Mannax
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:40pmIt is the lead post that is usually getting deleted… When some nut job posts something not pertaining to the story, the mods delete it and unfortunately anyone who has posted under them is deleted as well.
Report Post »right-wing-waco
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:43pmBest comment in a while Cheez.
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:46pmUnderstood.
Report Post »But recently I have noticed some of my posts and others that were not in the lead post being removed. Not offensive, bad language, etc…
There have been some of the Leftwing posters, even though I don’t agree with them, they should still have a voice, their posts are being removed quickly. Do you think this is maybe over Moderating?
Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:49pm@Darmok
I have noticed the pattern as well; I have been having problems with trying to change my avatar around to a new one on many occasions and have asked the Site Support to check into it some more.
There has to be some reason for it to be occuring, the posts being deleted that is.
Report Post »GONESURFING
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:56pmHave had posts that were critical of a certain church removed, and entire threads as well.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:00pmI hope SHOWTIME does not leave also, the fact others are ‘out of here’ is bad enough as it is; it seems since back in january when a individual was faking other peoples screenames (the Blaze did deal with them quickly) there have been problems with posts vanishing.
One part I have noticed, is those responding to a lead post will reappear later (a few hours) in the back of the same article where the one main post got deleted.
It could also be that someone keeps pushing the “Report Post” mark for several of us regulars here they are seeking to get rid of from the sight.
I just hope no one has either hacked the sight, or is trying to make a ‘blog war’ on the Blaze; for the number of trolls seems to be growing as time passes.
Report Post »UlyssesP
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:07pmI think the moderators are trying to keep themselves employed by over moderating needlessly to justify their jobs. They must have been recently unionized.
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:12pmCHEEZ! “Somebody lock Biden up…”
I needed that laugh!
@Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:34pm
Hey Cheez,
I read a post from Showtime, she said she is out of here, I hope not.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I check by sticking my toe into the water first, to see if that blathering idiot has left a post. If not, I’ll be here. If so later, I just move on.
You realize that Hawt‘n’Secksie and I are friends now, don’t you? Can’t just run off and leave him, now that we’ve “kissed and made up!”
Report Post »82dAirborne
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:13pmMost of the posts that have been deleated contained non-Blaze links…….
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:13pm@Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
And, thank you. I meant to tell you.
Report Post »(I’m worn out. Had four hrs sleep and have fixed lawnmower and cut grass and cleaned up the patio.)
Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:17pm@Showtime
Report Post »Good, we need some sane people on this site.
smartypoop
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:29pmThere is a big push among the progressives to infiltrate conservative MBs and even really moderate MBs to spew propaganda, disrupt discussion, and frustrate and cause the membership to leave the targeted MB. The trolls were a big problem when the site first opened and they seem to be trickling back in. Im seeing it on a lot of the websites, local news MB and FB. Be ready to ignore and post around them, the social network/web is how they won the 2008 election and they dont want us doing the same thing. Its gonna get worse as we get closer to 2012.
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 8:21pm@Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Report Post »Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:17pm
@Showtime
Good, we need some sane people on this site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, that disqualifies me, for sure! 8^) <— That's a happy face with glasses.
Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:31pmHair growing, claws coming out….OHWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Report Post »Robert-CA
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:43pmDon’t say that I live in CA !!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »:)
Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:47pmMy God, did you just turn into Pelosi or Al Gore?
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:10pmWorse…Al Franken…..
Report Post »walkwithme1966
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:20pmThe only thing I am going to worry about is getting some good pictures. These is not going to be some big earthquake or anything else!! http://wp.me/pYLB7-KX
Report Post »PA PATRIOT
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 8:20pmWalk with the hippppppppieeees
Report Post »Cats?
you can do better than that. How about recycling nuclear waste today.
yesterday is was guns killing kids.
The day before it was Planned Parenthood Goodness,
Keep it coming, you will get the picture sometime.
There is coffee brewing in a truck stop some where in the US. Perhaps you should get some.
LilMissPatriot
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 12:24amDid you just turn into Michelle Obama?
Report Post »J.C. McGlynn
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:29pmHigh tides. Big waves. Storms all over the place. It’s catastrophic climate change. We have to stop global warming.
Report Post »Mannax
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:38pmReally? What does the “super moon” have to do with global warming? There is no such thing as global warming, it is called climate change now. Because the climate changes… constantly… its been warmer and colder than it is now (averages) many times since humans have been on this planet. Volcanoes do more to change the environment than all of the humans and their industry combined.
GONESURFING
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:40pmThe earthquake expert who predicted the World Series quake in San Francisco some years back is saying that there is a good chance of another one in California sometime in the next week. The moon is a big factor in his calculation. Hope not, but it is good to be prepared.
Report Post »notofdasleeple
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:45pmAw FUDGE after everything else NOW we gotta watch out for WEREWOLVES???!!!! Where did I leave those silver bullets??!! RAMBO you been in mah stash again?!!
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:46pmFull super moon on the eve of Obama starting another major war with the US will get dragged more and more into despite the fact the people want the troops brought home already…enough is enough.
Enuff Zenuff
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 6:56pm.
@J.C. McGlynn
To stop ‘global warming’, you’d have to stop the sun or at least cool it down a little. Given that the earth is only 1 millionth the size of the sun good luck having any impact on it.
“But”, you say, “we need to stop the man-made effects that are amplifying the sun’s energy on the earth.”
How about you first explain to us how it is that Mars‘ climate is warming up just as much as earth’s – without the help of any man-made contributions (other than the US Flag that progressive-watchdog Sheila Jackson Lee thinks Neal Armstrong planted there). Explain Mars‘ warming if it isn’t solar, and then we’ll talk about whether or not we want to line Algorezillas pockets with our money… or were you just being intenionally provocative?
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:05pmThink outside the box!
Report Post »The MOON causes global warming!!! (They haven’t used that excuse yet.)
Ken
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:07pmGlobal Warming, another Liberal hoax. First the media tries to sell it; Al Gore tries to sell it; “Scientists” (liberal) try to sell it; Then scientists fudge the data and all of the above look the other way and decide to call it Global Change. Only correct name is Global Bull S**t!
Report Post »82dAirborne
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:11pm@Mannax
sar·casm /ˈsɑrkæzəm/ Show Spelled
[sahr-kaz-uhm] Show IPA
–noun
Report Post »1. harsh or bitter derision or irony.
2. a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark: a review full of sarcasms.
Uncle Crusty
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:12pmThere is a window of activity 19th-26th keep an eye on the west coast.
Report Post »tradexpertbuysell
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:12pmYES!
Climate change no doubt. But if we all face to the west grab our ankles and fart we can make a difference! By speeding up the earth’s rotation it will have a cooling effect.
Caution: Don’t light any matches!
Report Post »smartypoop
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:22pmGlobal warming can alter the rotation of planets in our solar system? Good grief, thats not even worth responding to.
Report Post »Creestof
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:28pmThat’s no moon! That’s Chris Christie getting out of the shower!
Report Post »tradexpertbuysell
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:28pmOh come on!
Think thrust effect. Spin. Get it. One small moon for man. One big moon for mankind.
I AM JOKING (OBVIOUSLY).
Asside form that I take Al Gore and his ilk about global warming as seriously as I do beer farts.
Report Post »Creestof
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:33pmHere is some food for thought…the last time the moon was this close was in 1993 according to the article above, right?
Guess what happened on July 12th, 1993?
A 7.8 earthquake in the sea of japan which created a tsunami.
Report Post »tradexpertbuysell
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:42pmI think the article above has a typo on the 1993. According to another report it wasn’t 1993 but 1983.
Now I am being serious. Check it out.
Report Post »PA PATRIOT
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:44pmWe are looking forward to it in PA!
We will be able to do target practice this evening and perhaps read a great novel at the same time.
Report Post »Shine on, Shine on Silver Moon…
PA PATRIOT
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 7:48pm@Creestof
Report Post »Mother Nature does get indisgestion every now and then. Glad I live of Terra Firma!
FGWinFLA
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 8:16pmAwww Maaannnn…. I was gonna make a global warming joke. No fair.
Report Post »LAM2
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 9:08pmMisleading headline — when I read “supermoon”, I thought it meant that Big Sis would be the subject of a full-on TSA strip search.
Report Post »sarc
saneromeo
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 9:31pmSyzygy and green house gasses are not related in any dictionary I own…
Report Post »Uncle Crusty
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 9:43pmROFLMAO – 70′s global cooling, then 20′s golbal warming, now it is climate change, wel duh, of course it is climate change, the earth’s climate CHANGES all the time, and man did not cause it, no is causing it. They named Greenland ‘green’ for a reason, then it got cold and now is white, and may be going back to green again…LOL, you environmentalists will lie about facts to futher your green agend, but the Sun has you trumped now lol, fools and their science!
Report Post »joseph Fawcett
Posted on March 19, 2011 at 10:07pmI think it is a gift from God to me. It is my birthday and nothing special has happened yet today and then I find this out. Wow, I like it! Thank you Lord need a special gift today!
http://www.josephfawcettart.com western artist
Report Post »LilMissPatriot
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 12:22amHow do you stop something that isn’t even happening?
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 12:40am@GONESURFING – I concure with your analysis of the moon and its affect on California, UCLA lost!
Report Post »boxerpaws
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 12:46amHigh tides and big waves? Could you be more specific? Exactly where and when?
“Storms all over the places” Yes,there are always “storms are all over the place”
It’s called weather.
” It’s catastrophic climate change.”
Even if there were climate change-and there probably is-that doesn‘t make it catastrophic nor does that necessarily mean it’s cause by “global warming”.Nor does that necessarily mean that we’re undergoing global warming at all.
“We have to stop global warming.”
Report Post »Even if there were global warming what does saying we have to stop it mean?
How would you actually stop it?
Sorry J.C. This is just the hype of a political agenda to get us to support what they call green tech.
Get the politics out of it.Look to science. What does this have to do with the super moon?
Al Gore just wants people to go around the sky is falling and support Green tech.
Yet, he lives in this huge mansion and flies around in a jet.
He’s not worried.He’s making the buck.
If you think for a min that our energy needs could be supplied by green tech better think twice.All this hype does is make Al Gore and his cronies rich.
J.C. McGlynn
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 10:56amI do believe some missed my sarcasm. I do not now nor have ever believed in “global climate change.” I’ve been contributing to it for 30 years (auto& light /med/heavey truck) as a mechanic. The point I was not really stating is global climate change alarmists will use the moon getting closer as by man caused global warming. Since the earths core is molten we would have to cool it, as well.
Report Post »Jezreel
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 10:57amJ.C. has to be joking and kidding unless he is as stupid as the global warming alarmists. I have a hard time understanding the idiots that just follow false information like global warming as I have a hard time understanding religeous idiots that follow wolves in sheeps clothing.
Report Post »kindling
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 4:56pmNext the left will blame ships in the ocean on rising water levels.
Report Post »Suzee
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 11:44pmWell maybe Algore should go out and shoot that pesky moon down………I blame the dinosaurs when there was an ice age…….they must have been drilling for oil, driving SUVs, not recycling, etc…….they caused global climate change………
Report Post »ThoreauHD
Posted on March 21, 2011 at 2:53pmThere is no carbon dioxide in space you tool.
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