The Tide IS High

Because the Moon is so close to the Earth today. Another result is the fact that the Moon will appear larger than at any other time this year.

While the Moon orbits at an average distance of about 238,855 miles (384,400 km), the orbit is actually an ellipse. So that is why this Friday night it will be just 221,560 miles (356,567 km) away from us. The result is that it will be 14 percent bigger in our sky and 30 percent brighter.

Another result of it being so much closer is that the high tides will be much higher than usual. This type of tide is called a perigean tide. It is called that because the moon's closest point to Earth is called the perigee.

Because this is a full Moon it will rise as the sun sets. Technically, the Moon is not 100% full since it's orbit doesn't normally line up perfectly with the equator. When there is that rare occasion when there is a 100% full Moon, there is also another event that goes hand in hand, a total eclipse of the Moon. & while the Moon basically keeps the same face towards Earth, as a result of libration, over time 59% of the Moon's surface can be observed from Earth.

(Source: Year's Biggest Full Moon Friday Night)

Since the tide IS high, I thought this might be an appropriate way to end this post: