The phenomenon of the supermoon: the giant moon illuminates the sky and increases the strength of tides.

The sky is preparing to witness a rare astronomical phenomenon known as the "Lunar Perigee," which occurs when the moon reaches its closest point to Earth, next Monday evening.

Although the moon will appear as a faint crescent, it will be larger than usual and will be classified as a "Supermoon" due to its extreme proximity to Earth at a distance of approximately 359,000 kilometers, slightly less than the required threshold for such rare phenomena (less than 360,000 km).

Dr. Ashraf Tadros, a professor of astronomy at the National Institute for Astronomical and Geophysical Research, explained that this phenomenon not only affects the moon's appearance but also contributes to amplifying the phenomenon of tides on Earth's surface.

He pointed out that the mutual gravitational attraction between the moon and Earth is the main factor in causing tides, where the moon's gravity pulls large amounts of water from the seas and oceans towards its location, creating a water bulge on the side facing the moon and another on the opposite side.

As a result, coastlines experience high and low tides daily, but when the moon is in its full or new moon phases, its impact on tides increases due to its alignment with the sun, reaching its peak during the Lunar Perigee, leading to a noticeable rise in water levels.

Tadros also mentioned that conversely, the effect of tides decreases when the moon is in its quarter phase (at a 90-degree angle with the sun) or when it is in the apogee, the farthest point from Earth in its orbit.

The astronomical expert concluded by confirming that the phenomenon of tides itself is a scientific evidence of the Earth's sphericity, as the way tides are distributed around the Earth's oceans cannot be explained on a flat surface, but perfectly aligns with the shape and movement of the Earth's sphere.