Rare 'Super' moon brings strong tides along KZN coast
High tides are expected to hit the KZN coast today.
Stargazers say a rare Super Blood Blue Moon - an occurrence of three celestial events - will be seen tomorrow night and be preceded by spring tides along the country's coastal areas.
A blue moon is the second full moon within a month - while a super moon occurs when the moon is closest to the Earth in its orbit. The moon appears larger during this time.
The lunar event will be fully visible in western North America, Asia, the Middle East, Russia and Australia while, South Africa's shores will be affected.
Just before dawn on Wed., 3 lunar events will come together in an unusual overlap that’s called a #SuperBlueBloodMoon. Join our @NASAMoon experts today during a Science @Reddit_AMA at 3pm ET to ask them about this upcoming lunar event: https://t.co/FRDIhyncsA pic.twitter.com/VTmrXD24ck
— NASA (@NASA) January 29, 2018
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The NSRI has urged beachgoers to be cautious of rising tides.
"From today, until this coming weekend, we are urging the public to be cautious around all coastlines. We are heading towards the full moon spring tide. This will bring a higher than normal high tide, a lower than normal low tide and stronger than normal rip currents.
"For this reason, we are urging the public - beachgoers, anglers and those hiking along the coastline - to be cautious and go to beaches where and when lifeguards are on duty. The full moon spring tide will peak on Wednesday," he says.