Does the Supermoon cause tsunamis?

Thanks to our satellite, the night from Sunday to Monday was much brighter than normal. This show, which it was not given 70 yearshas attracted a lot of attention from millions of people, who have not hesitated to take their mobile phones or digital cameras to capture the special moment.

But Is the Supermoon related to tsunamis? 

Why do the tides occur?

Tides are periodic oscillations in sea level that are caused by the attraction that the moon exerts on the waters. As the satellite rotates around the Earth, masses of water are lifted towards it by its attractive force, while at the same time those that are in the antipodes also rise due to the centrifugal force of the rotation of our planet.

In this phenomenon the sun also plays an important role, and it is that when lunar and solar attraction go in the same direction, they give rise to spring tides; On the other hand, when the sun and the moon exert their attraction in a perpendicular way, forming a right angle, neap tides are produced.

Can the moon cause tsunamis?

Knowing this, you might think that the moon can cause tsunamis. But… is that true? Our satellite takes about 28 to 30 days to go around the Earth. During those days it goes through different phases (new, growing, waning and full). As we have seen, its attractive force is very important for the production of the tides, which are strongest when full for being closer to the planet.

However there is no relationship between the moon and tsunamis, since these are phenomena that occur as a result of an earthquake or the impact of an asteroid.

Photos from Superluna 2016

To finish, we leave you with a series of photos of the Supermoon 2016. Enjoy them.