The colossal earthquake that rocked Japan on March 11th, is the strongest on record for them. It rated an 8.9 on the Richter scale initially but has now been upgraded to a 9.0 magnitude earthquake. Now as the survivors sift through the debris for the dead and deal with a nuclear explosion, a tiny debate grows among scientists and astrologers. Is the approaching supermoon a mere coincidence to this and two prior disasters or is it, in fact, a warning from the heavens itself?
Japan has had its share of earthquakes. Because of this, they hold a pioneering position in structurally sound buildings, incorporating sway-reducing technologies with seismic reduction features in all their high rises.
But Tokyo could not have ever been prepared for what befell them on March 11th when a 9.0 magnitude earthquake spawned a monstrous tsunami, with death tolls in the thousands and rising hour by hour. Just a day earlier, Beijing's southwest region experienced a 5.8 magnitude earthquake that killed 24 people, following Christchurch, New Zealand's stronger 6.3 magnitude earthquake two weeks prior that claimed 166 lives. This has some astrologers wondering if the upcoming supermoon has close relations with these latest catastrophes or the two most recent.
The Debate
Tonight the moon will move on its elliptical orbit closer to the earth (lunar perigee) than it's been in 18 years. Not only will it be closer, it will be full - hence the name supermoon, or what astrologers are referring to as an "extreme supermoon". As it approaches the earth , astrologers worry there is more devastation to come. At the very least, they warn to watch for abnormally high tides and flooding.
Scientists are heatedly shrugging off these forewarnings, claiming that astrology is not a science. But while astrology may not be referred to as a science, has science ever been totally reliable? Amid these latest natural disasters and continued debate, the men and women of science have admitted that, despite extensive research, they still cannot predict earthquakes.
An illuminating paper was written by none other than Biejing's Normal University by the Department of Astronomy in 2006, supporting the correlation of total, partial, and annular solar eclipses, the resulting lunar and solar tides, and earthquakes. The paper relates 21 major earthquakes to lunar-solar tides. Still scientists give no credence to these findings and lunar-solar tidal study still seems to be in its infancy.
Supermoon Defined
A supermoon happens when the full moon is closest (in its elliptical orbit) to the earth. This has occurred in 1955, 1974, 1992, and the "extreme supermoon" of 2005 (right around the time of the Indonesian tsunami). On the 19th, the moon will be only 221, 567 miles from earth, the closest in 18 years. For the next couple of days, expect this debate between astrologers and scientists to become more heated.
Regardless of what we choose to believe for now, we shall see what happens soon enough. If anything, it will be nice to gaze at the full moon in all its mysterious splendor, knowing it's closer to us. And what we see in that moon will vary from person to person. It seems that scientists still see the kindly man in the moon. But astrologers see a woman. And that woman appears to be a restless and powerful Mother Nature.
Updated March 22, 2011
Christy McKinney - Christy McKinney had an interesting childhood, growing up in Willis, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona alternately with her divorced mother and ...
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