There are five super moons in 2012, the first of which occurs on April 6. The one after that on May 5 is supposed to be one of the most powerful experienced in years. When a full moon occurs close to the perigee of the Moon (a point of its closest approach to the Earth) and its distance from Earth is much smaller than usual, then it causes a “super moon” phenomenon.

You can check out Moonrise, Moonset and Moonphase timetables for Portland at www.timeanddate.com/worldclo...nomy.html

There is also an article that discusses the possible ties between the supermoon, celestial alignments and the sinking of the Titanic. A part of the National Geographic story proposes that "...R.M.S. Titanic went down on a moonless night, but the iceberg that sank the luxury liner may have been launched in part by a full moon that occurred three and a half months earlier . . . That full moon, on January 4, 1912, may have created unusually strong tides that sent a flotilla of icebergs southward—just in time for Titanic's maiden voyage, said astronomer Donald Olson of Texas State University-San Marcos...."

To read the story, go to news.nationalgeographic.com/news...nk/#.