Overview of the supermoon occuring on March 19th

On the night of March 19th, the moon will be closer to Earth than it’s been in eighteen years. We haven’t seen a related lunar event of this magnitude since the year 1992. A full will graze the skies of the world, and it will appear about fourteen percent larger and drastically brighter than the norm. This rare phenomenon has led some observers to dub it a “supermoon.”

Despite its beauty, Supermoons have been linked to natural disasters in the past, including floods and earthquakes. This link between the supermoon phenomenon and natural disasters are typically touted by Astrologist. Thankfully, astronomers and scientists believe that any sort of catastrophe is unlikely.

March 19th marks this year's lunar perigee, the point in the moon's orbit at which it is closest to Earth. It is the moon's elliptical orbit that's accountable for the differences in distance involving the moon and Earth. This month's perigee will leave the moon about 8 percent closer to Earth than usual and about 2 percent closer to Earth than the typical lunar perigee.

Past supermoons have coincided with natural disasters such as the Indonesian earthquake in 2005 and Australian flooding in 1954--but scientists note that those natural events are not related. The tides will indeed pull a bit higher, but earthquakes are almost completely unaffected and volcanoes are not likely to show unusual behavior.

How do I observe a supermoon?

You may begin viewing after sunset, in which the moon will follow by rising in the east. According to NASA, the best time to observe tonight's supermoon is when it is near the horizon. The spectacle itself will be visible at any time throughout the night. More information coming soon!

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