A huge Moon behind St. Michael's Tower in Glastonbury Tor

On March 19th 2011, a full Moon of rare size and beauty rised in the east at sunset. It was a super "perigee moon" – the biggest in almost 20 years.

People near St. Michael's Tower in Glastonbury Tor (Somerset, England) look at the Super Moon of March 19 2011. Credit: Anorak

"The last full Moon so big and close to Earth occurred in March of 1993," said Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory in Washington DC. "I'd say it's worth a look. The full Moon of March 19th occurs less than one hour away from perigee – a near-perfect coincidence that happens only 18 years or so," adds Chester. 

A perigee full Moon brings with it extra-high "perigean tides," but this is nothing to worry about. In most places, lunar gravity at perigee pulls tide waters only a few centimeters (an inch or so) higher than usual. Local geography can amplify the effect to about 15 centimeters (six inches) – not exactly a great flood. Even a super perigee Moon is still 356,577 km away.

Sources:

• Super Full Moon, Science@NASA, March 16, 2011
• Glastonbury Tor, Wikipedia
• The Super Moon In Incredible High Resolution Photos: The Lunar Rock Looms Large, Anorak, March 19, 2011