'Supermoon' catastrophe fears rear head after Japan tsunami

The Internet has been abuzz with rumors, prophecies and popular consternation over natural catastrophes and extreme weather that the 'Supermoon' phenomenon on March 19 could bring about.

Friday's massive earthquake in Japan and the ensuing tsunami have laid bare popular fears that more such catastrophes could be on the way.

Even before the quake happened rumors were rife on the Internet that something devastating was about to happen around this date. ...be forewarned. Something BIG could happen on or around this date (plus or minus three days is my guess), a member of the Acuweather Facebook fan page wrote.

The argument goes like this: Around the time the last extreme super moon happened, which was January 10, 2005, there indeed was a terrible natural disaster. The devastating pacific tsunami which gobbled up parts of Indonesia and other pacific rim countries and killed hundreds of thousands, happened two weeks before the Supermoon event.

Augmenting the fears, it has been observed that the massive Japanese quake was followed by quakes in New Zealand and China in recent days.

The full moon at lunar perigee, the closest approach during its orbit, can wreak havoc on Earth, according to astrologers. But the scientific community doesn't see reason for hiding under the table and stocking up supplies though it doesn’t rubbish the impact of the phenomenon altogether.

Will there indeed be greater seismic and volcanic activity on March 19, when the full moon will be very close to Earth?

The question is not actually so crazy. In fact scientists have studied related scenarios for decades. Even under normal conditions, the moon is close enough to Earth to make its weighty presence felt: It causes the ebb and flow of the ocean tides, Space.com said in an article.

It has also been pointed out that Hurricane Katrina, which happened in 2005, was the result of the Supermoon phenomenon. The Supermoon occurred in 1955, 1974 and 1992, accompanied by extreme weather conditions.

This March may prove to be one of the worst months for severe weather and seismic activity yet this year, said the website psychiccosmos.com.

Astrologers say the full moon at lunar perigee, the closest approach during its orbit, can wreak havoc on Earth. An instance of Supermoon is set to unfold on March 19.