Big, bad moon risin’

Noaki Schwartz

NEWPORT-MESA -- Wednesday night’s moon was the kind that writers of love

songs dream about.

The U.S. Naval Observatory reported that it was one of the biggest and

brightest in the last 150 years, and while the 14% size increase may not

have been visible to the naked eye, its clarity certainly was.

Astronomers disagreed wildly on whether it was the brightest moon in a

century, in part because of rumors started by an article in the Old

Farmer’s Almanac.

Even so, there was little contention on the cause of the anomaly.

Three normally separate celestial events -- the shortest day of the year,

the day when the moon is closest to the earth and the full moon -- nearly

occurred on the same day. This has only happened on two other occasions

in modern history, in 1866 and 1991.

The close proximity of the moon also caused exceptionally high and low

tides in Newport Beach, said Tom Garrison, a science teacher at Orange

Coast College.

On Wednesday morning, the tide was 7.6 feet in Newport.

“It’s even higher than normal this year. It’s all part of the clockwork

of the universe,” said a philosophical Dan Atkin of the National Weather

Service.

He added that despite the unusual tides, waves were an insignificant 2

to 3 feet.

Still, the tides, in combination with the recent 40-mph Santa Ana winds,

were enough to cause some concern for the Orange County Harbor Patrol.

“Our main concern was the flow of the current. We want to make sure the

highest tides will be this evening for the boat parade,” said Sgt. Ron

Peoples.

Peoples said he was a little worried about some of the smaller crafts in

the parade that could be swept away by the strong winds and currents.

And what about legends of erratic behavior during full moons?

Debra Legan, spokesperson for Hoag Hospital, assured risk-takers and

potential emergency room visitors that the hospital will be fully

staffed.

“We’re already pretty busy because of the flu,” Legan said.