Tide between springs and neaps. The changing distance separating the Moon and Earth also affects tide heights. When the Moon is closest, at perigee, the range increases, and when it is at apogee, the range shrinks. Every lunations (the full cycles from full moon to new to full), perigee coincides with either a new or full moon causing perigean spring tides with the largest "tidal range". Even at its most powerful this force is still weak, causing tidal differences of inches at most. These include solar gravitational effects, the obliquity (tilt) of the Earth's Equator and rotational axis, the inclination of
Full moon the sun. To compare, in 1983 the equal length seasons began at 1.48 AM on 23 March, 9.15 AM on 22 June, 4.42 PM on 21 September and 12.10 AM on 22 December, while the astronomical seasons began at 4.39 AM on 21 March, 11.09 PM on 21 June, 2.42 PM on 23 September and 10.30 AM on 22 December (all times GMT). Due to a misinterpretation of this definition in the March 1946 "Sky & Telescope" magazine, "blue moon" has also been used in the sense of "the second full moon in any month which contains two full moons