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Gaint Moon on March 19, 2011

On March 19th 2011, the moon will make its closest approach to Earth in almost 20 years. On March 19, the moon will swing around Earth more closely than it has in the past 18 years, lighting up the night sky from just 221567 miles or 356,577 kilometers away.This phenomenon is called lunar perigee or Supermoon, happens when the moon reaches its absolute closest point to Earth.

There were Supermoons in 1955, 1974, 1992 and 2005, and these years had their share of extreme weather conditions, too. Although there are scientific laws that say the moon affects the Earth, it's still ambiguous whether the lunar perigee and natural disasters is coincidence or not.

The moon's gravity can even cause small but measureable ebbs and flows in the continents, called "land tides" or "solid Earth tides," too. The tides are greatest during full and new moons, when the sun and moon are aligned either on the same or opposite sides of the Earth.

British freelance weatherman John Kettley was quoted as saying "A moon can't cause a geological event like an earthquake, but it will cause a difference to the tide. If that combines with certain weather conditions, then that could cause a few problems for coastal areas."

Neo Earth Close Approach Tables By NASA

While hoping for a non-disastrous ‘moon giant’, point your eyes and camera lenses toward the night sky on 19th. If the sky is clear, you’re gonna get an exceptional celestial treat. Most natural disasters have nothing to do with the moon at all. The Earth has a lot of pent up energy, and it releases it anytime the buildup gets too great. The supermoon probably won't push it past the tipping point, but we'll know for sure, one way or the other, by March 20.

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