With earthquakes, tsunamis and storms wreaking a seemingly endless amount of havoc
all
over the planet, you wouldn't be blamed for thinking the Earth is trying to send us a
message.

Things aren't much calmer in outer space. The sun is currently advancing toward solar
maximum – the most active period in the solar cycle – and the moon will make its
closest approach to Earth in nearly 20 years on March 19, while also being full – called
a
“supermoon” by astrologer Richard Nolle. As a result, some have predicted catastrophe:
solar storms could knock out power grids, satellites and traffic control systems, and
the
moon's normal effects on the planet could be magnified, causing untold damage.

Others, such as McMaster's Sarah Symons, aren't nearly as pessimistic. The assistant
professor in the Integrated Science Program says that while we may see some of the
effects
of the two events, the results will not be nearly as disastrous as some have claimed.

“Its incredibly rare to have the moon reach its perigee (its closest orbital approach to
Earth) while also full, so of course people are going to speculate as to its effects,” she
said.
“Earthquakes do happen and volcanoes are active during lunar perigee, but they also
happen throughout the year, so no real correlation has yet been found.”

Ocean tides will be larger around the perigee, though not by much.

“The most dramatic effect will simply be the sight of the moon, which will appear to be
larger in the sky,” the result of its being only slightly more than 350,000 kilometres
away.

As for solar storms, Symons says there is always the possibility of damage being done,
especially to older, less-protected satellites, but that the chance of something more
cataclysmic happening on Earth is minimal.

“Earth is actually quite well-protected from things like this,” she said. “But much like a
car's airbags can only defend against certain types of collisions, so too are the planet's
defenses somewhat limited to certain types of projections coming from the sun. That
being
said, the probability of havoc-inducing solar storms occurring is still relatively low.”

During a 1989 peak in solar activity, six million people in Quebec were left without
power
for about nine hours.

The cloud of impending solar storms could potentially have a silver lining, however, as
such activity can increase the strength and visibility of aurora borealis, or the Northern
Lights.