On March 19th, the Moon will be the closest it has been to Earth in 18 years.



The moon - stalking the Earth since 4.4 billion BC. Picture courtesy NASA

In fact, the Moon will only be 221,556 miles away! This event, called a lunar perigee, is a source of contention between scientists and astrological theorists. Some believe that having the Moon so close can cause all sorts of natural disasters, such as the 1938 New England hurricane, Cyclone Tracy in 1974, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 - all events which fell on or near the appearance of a “SuperMoon.”

Astronauts grow taller in space.

Believe it or not, this is true! On space missions of 12 weeks or longer, astronauts have been known to grow up to an additional two inches taller! For this reason, space suits are fitted to each astronaut with two inches of room to grow. The reason for this phenomenon is not known for certain, but scientists believe it is due to the lack of gravity in space. This weightlessness can also cause astronauts to lose bone mass! The lack of gravity prevents the compression of the spine which would otherwise occur on Earth. Once fully extended, the spine can apparently lengthen up to 2 full inches!

Source: Helium