Tonight the moon will be full, and it will the closest it's going to get to Earth this year, at just 221,705 miles away. This is called the moon's perigee, as opposed to its apogee, which is when it's at its farthest point.
According to OMSI, many are calling May's full moon the "Supermoon," because they say the dramatic land and ocean tides trigger earthquakes. The tides are greatest during full and new moons, when the sun and moon are aligned either on the same or opposite sides of the Earth.
However, seismologists have found no evidence connecting lunar perigees to heightened seismic activity. Instead, the Earth constantly stores up energy and releases it any time the built-up energy becomes too great.
The full moon officially occurs at 8:35 p.m.
Copyright 2012 KPTV (Meredith Corporation.) All rights reserved.
