In light of the Supermoon event on 10 August 2014, here is an astronomically delayed blog post about, you guessed it right, the supermoon phenomenon! (It's hard to squeeze in multiple puns in a single sentence)
The supermoon is a fascinating event, and the phenomenon behind it is quite simple too. It occurs when the full moon coincides with the moon being closest to Earth on its elliptical orbit. This leads to the moon appearing brighter and larger. In orbital mechanics, the elliptical orbit of the moon around the Earth gives rise to points of greatest and least distance, called perigee and apogee, respectively. This is shown in the figure below:
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In this illustration, point 1 marks the perigee, point 2 marks the apogee
and point 3 marks the position of Earth.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perigee#mediaviewer/File:Apogee_(PSF).png
Over the years, there have been several claims about the supermoon being responsible for natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis and floods. However, no conclusive research has supported these claims. The oceanic tides result from the combined effect of the sun and moon's gravitational pull, and the tides are indeed highest during a full moon. However, this effect is not particularly strong, and does not lead to significant rising of the high tide compared to the normal amount.
I was lucky enough to witness the supermoon on 10 August, 2014 thanks to a surprisingly clear night, especially after torrential rains early in the day. Sitting on a hill top, which was illuminated only by the intense light of the supermoon, I couldn't help but get slightly philosophical. I have often turned to the cosmos in search of inspiration and motivation, and this was one such occurrence.
With news of humanitarian crises pouring out from almost every corner of our planet, I wonder in which direction our `intelligent' civilisation is headed. Have we become a threat to our very own existence? It seems that today's society is fueled by hatred and self-centrism. The term `humane' is slowly losing its value. I don't think scientific and technological advancement alone is enough to entitle us to call ourselves an `advanced' civilisation. There is no progress without empathy, compassion, equality, trust and love, the truly human values. Every pinch of grey matter is valuable. Every drop of blood is precious.
I urge you to spare a few moments and watch Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot (linked here):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p86BPM1GV8M
And finally, sitting on top of the moonlit hill, I realised this. Very few human creations have an implicitly comforting nature. But the sound of a train in the dark of the night and the guiding signal from a light house in a vast sea of loneliness are, in my opinion, two of the most soothing sensory stimuli. Can we turn to the cosmos to teach us to love one another and live in peace and harmony? Can we use science and technology for the betterment of not just humans, but nature itself? Can we be selfless and make a positive change through our lives? I think we can. All we need to do is, every once in a while, look up and wonder.
The supermoon is a fascinating event, and the phenomenon behind it is quite simple too. It occurs when the full moon coincides with the moon being closest to Earth on its elliptical orbit. This leads to the moon appearing brighter and larger. In orbital mechanics, the elliptical orbit of the moon around the Earth gives rise to points of greatest and least distance, called perigee and apogee, respectively. This is shown in the figure below:
and point 3 marks the position of Earth.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perigee#mediaviewer/File:Apogee_(PSF).png
Over the years, there have been several claims about the supermoon being responsible for natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis and floods. However, no conclusive research has supported these claims. The oceanic tides result from the combined effect of the sun and moon's gravitational pull, and the tides are indeed highest during a full moon. However, this effect is not particularly strong, and does not lead to significant rising of the high tide compared to the normal amount.
I was lucky enough to witness the supermoon on 10 August, 2014 thanks to a surprisingly clear night, especially after torrential rains early in the day. Sitting on a hill top, which was illuminated only by the intense light of the supermoon, I couldn't help but get slightly philosophical. I have often turned to the cosmos in search of inspiration and motivation, and this was one such occurrence.
With news of humanitarian crises pouring out from almost every corner of our planet, I wonder in which direction our `intelligent' civilisation is headed. Have we become a threat to our very own existence? It seems that today's society is fueled by hatred and self-centrism. The term `humane' is slowly losing its value. I don't think scientific and technological advancement alone is enough to entitle us to call ourselves an `advanced' civilisation. There is no progress without empathy, compassion, equality, trust and love, the truly human values. Every pinch of grey matter is valuable. Every drop of blood is precious.
I urge you to spare a few moments and watch Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot (linked here):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p86BPM1GV8M
And finally, sitting on top of the moonlit hill, I realised this. Very few human creations have an implicitly comforting nature. But the sound of a train in the dark of the night and the guiding signal from a light house in a vast sea of loneliness are, in my opinion, two of the most soothing sensory stimuli. Can we turn to the cosmos to teach us to love one another and live in peace and harmony? Can we use science and technology for the betterment of not just humans, but nature itself? Can we be selfless and make a positive change through our lives? I think we can. All we need to do is, every once in a while, look up and wonder.
