The Lunar Perigee

For the first time since 1993 the Moon will be the closest to the Earth. This is the Lunar Perigee. Over Ireland and Europe the next few days we will be able to view the Moon clearer than ever. If the skies are clear! This Perigee is special as it coincides with a full moon. An Apogee is when the Moon is furthest away from Earth.

But what does the Perigee mean for us down here?
As you know the Moon controls the tides. On a full moon the tides are at their highest. But as the Perigee is larger than normal this means our tides will be higher than normal.
But in recent times the Perigee has caused some disasters. It has been known to cause a change to the climate. Earthquakes, Tsunamis and volcanoes are meant to be active during the Lunar Perigee.
In 1938, storms raged across New England. In 1974 there was Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin.

But there is another side to this Perigee. Some Scientists believe that no disasters will occur during this Perigee because Earth will be going through a lower tide than usual.

On the 4th of January 1912, the closest Perigee occurred. The Moon was 356,375 km from Earth!

Lunar Perigee and Apogee