3/19/11

Bad Moon on the Rise

You've probably heard by now that Saturday evening we'll have a perigean full moon.


Also known as "Super Moon."




(That cover was pretty different - kind of why I like it.)


When the moon is at its "perigee," it's at its closest point to the planet. The opposite, when the moon is at its furthest point, is called "apogee." This is the first time perigee has coincided with a full moon in about twenty years. 


There was an almost "Super Moon" in 2008, according to an article in USA TodayThe Super Moon of 2011 will be about 2% closer than that event. Or, this much.


Moonrise is scheduled for 7:37pm.


So what's the point? Well, the consensus seems... not much. Tides might be a bit high, but there's no need to fear swarms of natural disasters.


To seque "neatly" from natural disasters... there's information abound on the internets that talk about moon:menstruation links and lunar fertility cycles; however, a study that looked at lunar cycles and IVF suggested any connection was borderline and oversimplification at best


A different study suggests a possible link between the moon cycle and attacks of "pseudogout." Tides, which are of course the result of the gravitational forces between the earth and moon, may also play a role in controlling global temperature when the tides are "extreme."


Yeah, you didn't see all that science coming, did you?


It should be a nice weekend, weather-wise, so enjoy some time outside with a warm beverage and take a look at the sky. That's my plan, anway.


Although I'll be keeping an eye out for were-wolves. (Silver bullets might be a good idea, too.)


3 comments:

  1. So this would explain why I cried about 11 times by noon today. Mercy! I remember several years back on an apogee moon that I cried three times -- at my then-place-of-employment -- by 1 p.m. I looked at my boss through weepy eyes and said, "It must be a full moon!"

    Thankfully, not each full moon has such sway, but if there are moon-sensitive people, I'm one of them. :-) All good. The moon just intensifies emotion ... and it does move on to another phase. And so the cycle continues.

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  2. Excellent information and fascinating stuff. I read about this quite recently in a book which is available to read online at www.blindedbyscience.co.uk. It also has more information about the Moons gravitational pull and other ways it can affect us too. So great if you are interested in the power of the Moon. If you do have a look then start with the chapter called 'Sun and Moon'

    Any thoughts after reading?

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