diff --git a/examples/popups.html b/examples/popups.html
index 988e3b4660..4a1aa056d7 100644
--- a/examples/popups.html
+++ b/examples/popups.html
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
                                          new OpenLayers.Size(200,200),
                                          "example popup",
                                          true);
+            popup.closeOnMove = true;
         
             map.addPopup(popup);
         }        
diff --git a/lib/OpenLayers/Popup.js b/lib/OpenLayers/Popup.js
index da26f82b9f..a315adfbe1 100644
--- a/lib/OpenLayers/Popup.js
+++ b/lib/OpenLayers/Popup.js
@@ -173,6 +173,13 @@ OpenLayers.Popup = OpenLayers.Class({
      *     Default is false.
      */
     panMapIfOutOfView: false,
+
+    /**
+     * APIProperty: closeOnMove
+     * {Boolean} When map pans, close the popup.
+     *     Default is false.
+     */
+    closeOnMove: false,
     
     /** 
      * Property: map 
@@ -253,6 +260,10 @@ OpenLayers.Popup = OpenLayers.Class({
         this.opacity = null;
         this.border = null;
         
+        if (this.closeOnMove && this.map) {
+            this.map.events.unregister("movestart", this, this.hide);
+        }
+
         this.events.destroy();
         this.events = null;
         
@@ -294,6 +305,12 @@ OpenLayers.Popup = OpenLayers.Class({
                 px = this.map.getLayerPxFromLonLat(this.lonlat);
             }
         }
+
+        // this assumes that this.map already exists, which is okay because 
+        // this.draw is only called once the popup has been added to the map.
+        if (this.closeOnMove) {
+            this.map.events.register("movestart", this, this.hide);
+        }
         
         //listen to movestart, moveend to disable overflow (FF bug)
         if (OpenLayers.Util.getBrowserName() == 'firefox') {
diff --git a/tests/Popup.html b/tests/Popup.html
index 80f07fcdd2..f63e745b3e 100644
--- a/tests/Popup.html
+++ b/tests/Popup.html
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@
         map.destroy();
     }
     function test_Popup_draw(t) {
-        t.plan( 13 );
+        t.plan( 15 );
         
         var id = "chicken";
         var x = 50;
@@ -144,6 +144,29 @@
         popup.moveTo(new OpenLayers.Pixel(x, y));
         t.eq(popup.div.style.left, x + "px", "moveTo updates left position of popup.div correctly");
         t.eq(popup.div.style.top, y + "px", "moveTo updates top position of popup.div correctly");
+
+
+    //closeOnMove
+        var checkMapEvent = function(map, popup) {
+            var startListeners = map.events.listeners['movestart'];
+            for(var i=0; i < startListeners.length; i++) {
+                var listener = startListeners[i];
+                
+                if ((listener.obj == popup) && (listener.func == popup.hide)) {
+                    return true;
+                }
+            }    
+            return false;
+        };
+        var registered = checkMapEvent(map1, popup);
+        t.ok(!registered, "when not 'closeOnMove', correctly not registered hide() on map's movestart.")    
+        
+        var popup2 = new OpenLayers.Popup('test');
+        popup2.closeOnMove = true;
+        map1.addPopup(popup2);
+        
+        registered = checkMapEvent(map1, popup2);
+        t.ok(registered, "when 'closeOnMove', correctly registered hide() on map's movestart.")    
     }
 
   </script>