It may also be so super because of its perceived influence. I mean, we’ve got a whole bunch of superstitions related to the moon, from it influencing people’s dreams, odd behaviors and even the growth of plants.
While it may be the reason why I get itchy and sprout hair on full moons, most of the beliefs surrounding the moon are woefully inaccurate.
For example, the astrologer Richard Nolle, who started the idea of the supermoon, firmly believes that a lot of seismic events and bad weather can be blamed on the moon.
He describes the “major geophysical stress window” as a period of 7 days, swiftly being rebutted by astronomer Phil Plait, who says that pretty much anything could happen in such a long period.
Phil Plait has a further bone to pick with bad supermoon astronomy, though. To his annoyance (and Richard’s fame), a bunch of earthquakes get written down as “caused by the moon’s influence”.
Astronomer Phil looks at these numbers and then looks at the facts.
The United States Geological Survey records earthquakes and there are about 1469 of them with a magnitude greater than 5 every year. That’s about 4 daily, so you could pick any random day when a >5 magnitude earthquake is happening and attribute it to the poor moon.
I’m more of the thought that we shouldn’t be blaming things on the moon, but rather corrupt politicians. Something along the lines of “mother earth demands a blood sacrifice,” but maybe that’s just me.
Nolle even gets blasted on the Wikipedia page for being spectacularly incorrect, which is quite a feat. If you’re being roasted by Wikipedia, of all things, you should probably reconsider what the heck you’re doing.
Although we’ve discredited Nolle’s scientific findings, we must say that he has a knack for names, dubbing another phenomenon in 2000 as the extreme supermoon.
That one is probably when all the vampire-werewolf conventions happen.
Besides Nolle, there are various definitions being used to decide whether a moon is super or not. Sky and Telescope magazine say that it’s when it is 223,000 miles (358,884 km) away from the Earth, rather than the usual 238,855 miles (384,400 km).
TimeandDate.com suggests 223,694 miles (360,000 kilometers), but for us regular people the best way of determining it is probably “holy moly, that is a big moon.”
“Regular” supermoons actually happen about 3-4 times per year out of the 12-13 possible new or full moons. If you were blissfully sleeping during this one, you’ll still have a chance of witnessing another on September 29, 2023.
If you’re looking for a really bombastic date to turn into a werewolf, December 6, 2052 is the date to jot down in your calendar as that’s the next full supermoon.
Although a common phrase for something happening rarely is “once in a blue moon,” it turns out you’ve been lied to - those moons are not really blue. According to NASA award winner Space Place, “a blue moon is special because it is the 'extra' Moon in a season with four full moons.”
While we’re on the topic of moons, there are also “Blood Moons” which occur during total lunar eclipses. When the moon is eclipsed in this way, only light from the edges of Earth’s atmosphere reach it and as our atmosphere scatters the blue light, we get to witness an eerily red moon, hence the blood.
Don’t forget about the Harvest Moon too - that’s the full, bright moon, that happens closest to the start of Autumn. Their name comes from way before electricity, when farmers would harvest their crops late into the night, guided by the moon’s glow.
One last thing - while you may be able to see the next supermoon in September, this is the last blue supermoon till 2037. Talk to you then! Don’t forget to bring your telescope!
