Tomorrow's 'Supermoon' Will Be Super, Moon

via davedehetre

Watch your head tomorrow (Saturday) night: our moon will be closer to Earth than it has been in 18 years. It has been dubbed a "supermoon," and will only be 221,565 miles (roughly 1,871,781,120 VHS copies of Teen Wolf) from us. Due to the timing of its perigee -- space talk for "closest point to Earth" -- the full moon will appear 14% larger and 30% brighter than normal. In other words: the moon's going to be pretty neat lookin' tomorrow.

While it won't account for any natural disasters (unfounded rumors spread in the aftermath of Japan's 9.0 quake), it will cause delayed, dramatic tidal shifts. Space.com says that here in New York, "high water (5.9 feet) at The Battery comes at 10:49 p.m. EDT on March 21." If you live near The Battery, for the love of God, please cuff your pants.

Tomorrow evening's forecast calls clear skies. Try to make it to a clearing, roof, fire escape, double-decker bus, shoulders of a man of above average height, circus chair-stacking climax, Home Depot outdoor ladder display or dining deck of a zeppelin in order to see what promises to be a beautiful lunar display.

Take it away, Christopher Cross:

'Supermoon' Rises: Biggest Full Moon in 18 Years Occurs Saturday Night [Space.com]

[ngreene@villagevoice.com / @nickgreene]