Perigee Full Moon March 19th.?

Yep...it's true.

1.8% closer than the wikipedia accepted "typical" perigee.

"Hi gintable. I have no idea why you got a thumbs down! The diameter will appear 14% larger on this night. http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/sci%E2%80%A6%...

Yeah...14% larger than "typical" apogee, which happens a fortnight before/after perigee.

But it will only be 1.8% larger than "typical" perigee, which happens every month.

The "typical" values of perigee are actually only about 12% larger than typical apogee.

Apparently people don't like the facts. They want to make up their own exaggerations.

It is true that the moon affects the tides. BUT, it means no threat to Earth. At most, it pulls them only as high as your hand is wide above what a usual perigee full moon pulls them to. I would hardly call that a catastrophic flood.

Earthquakes are caused by events in the Earth's interior, of thermal pressure build-up of magma, and weakening a zone of the crust, or of pushing tectonic plates toward or away from each other.

If the moon has anything to do with it...it is just the straw that broke the camel's back

I agree with your facts completely. The worlds most recent extreme natural disaster happened when the moon was still closer to apogee than perigee (it would be a standard exercise of orbital mechanics to figure this out). Yet people still try to tribute it to the super moon.

In other words...the moon was FARTHER from Earth at the time of the Japan earthquake and tsunami than the moon's "average" orbital distance from Earth.

The supermoon is really just trivia and curiosity and photography opportunity. Even so...once a year anyway...full moon will roughly coincide with perigee. So if you completely miss it on Saturday...you didn't miss much. You only will've missed 1.8% of what it could've been.

It sounds blatantly Mars-hoaxesque what people exaggerate it to be. Do you remember the whole "Mars will be as big as the moon" news story back in 2003 (that keeps falsely re-circulating every August)? Completely a message lost in translation. What the real astronomy story said was "if viewed in a 75x magnification telescope, Mars will appear as large as the moon".

Even so...that isn't that impressive of a statement, since during typical Mars opposition that isn't perihelic... all it takes is a 100x magnification telescope to make it appear as large as the moon.

Yes, we can expect very slightly higher tides, maybe a centimeter difference per year over the 18 year cycle. The moon, however, has settled into a nearly perfect circular orbit over billions of years. For instance, it is not expected to collide with the Earth - or tear it apart - before the Sun goes nova five-thousand-million (5,000,000,000) years from now.

The apparent size of the Moon from Earth's surface will NOT change noticeably from yesterday, last month, or last year. It will appear larger than in the last 18 years. So, if you look at it about 18 years from now, when it is at its very furthest point ever, it will look 14% smaller. The fear-mongers know the moon appears much larger when near the horizon, due to a perceptual illusion, and are counting on you to look at it before the moon is high in the sky, and panic.

Astronomy fans may want to go look at the moon in a few days. Ocean fishermen and clam diggers are already looking at their almanacs. Other people - just enjoy the night sky. About 18 years from now, the moon will appear very slightly smaller at its furthest distance than it does now at its furthest distance. It's not like the moon leaped from far away to close.

http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/03/17/news11.asp

Thanks for the notice, but most of the regulars here know about it already from the flood of questions about it and how it can trigger earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and the current diaper rash epidemic in Lizard Lick, North Carolina. <grin>

Thanx..for the MEMO..I was wondering if it was tomorrow..

Did you see tonites(early evening Moon)..?

I'm hoping for some viewing..(weather).