Supermoon or superhype?

KOCHI: If a set of astronomers are to be believed, March 19, which is just two days away, could well be our last day on planet Earth. Playing the villain will be none other the moon, despite us earthlings having sung about its beauty and charm for centuries. On this day the moon will turn into its deadly avatar - the supermoon, and come a bit too close for comfort to the earth - 356,577 kilometres, to be specific.Well, that doesn’t sound very close, it might seem. But these scientists don’t think so. The supermoon or the lunar perigee, as the phenomenon is called, will trigger earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, according to their calculations. And the tsunami which hit Japan last Friday added fuel to the fire.The doomsday scientists point out that this year supermoon coincides with a full moon. They remind you ominously that there were instances of extreme weather conditions in the previous supermoon years as well. The England hurricane of 1938 and the Hunter Valley floods of 1955 both happened during lunar perigees besides Cyclone Tracy in 1974 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.So does that mean that we should try to fulfil our last wishes on these few precious days left and maybe seek forgiveness from all whom we have wronged? British weatherman John Kettley pooh poohs all such notions.“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.”That’s it.The moon can affect tides, but not on such a large scale. Closer to home, Dr V C Kuriakose, Department of Physics, Cusat, also feels that a mountain is being made out of a mole-hill. “Supermoon happens every 20 years and I don’t see any possibility of it leading to a natural calamity. The moon will appear brighter and seem closer that day,” he says.Most astronomers are of the opinion that the supermoon and the Japan tsunami are not even remotely connected to each other. None other than NASA’s Dave Williams has clarified the matter. The astronomer told a news channel that at the time of the tremor, the moon was at its farthest point from the Earth. “Unless the Earth somehow knew that the supermoon was coming, I can’t imagine any scientific connection between the two events.”So that seems to be the final word on the matter. All you need to do on March 19 is keep an eye on the sky after nightfall and not miss out on the spectacular sight of the moon looming large and bright. If you have a powerful pair of binoculars, you might be lucky enough to spot a crater or two, maybe.