Pink Supermoon: The Biggest And Brightest Of 2020
The Full Moon in April 2020 will be the biggest and brightest Supermoon of the year. Find out everything you need to know about April’s Super Pink Moon here.
When to see the Full Moon in April 2020?
The Moon will reach its full phase on Tuesday, April 7, 2020, at 02:35 UTC (22:35 EDT). April’s Full Moon, also known as the Pink Moon, will be the second of the three Supermoons of this year. On Tuesday night and next few nights, the Moon will appear full to the eye and will shine among the stars of the constellation Virgo. The brightest constellation’s star, Spica, can be seen near the Moon.
For the best view, watch for the Moon when it rises just above the horizon. The Moon has a golden hue and appears larger near the horizon than when it is high up in the sky. Not to miss the right moment, find out the exact times of moonrise and moonset for your location in the stargazing app Star Walk 2. If you plan to take a photo of this lovely, rare Supermoon, check the Ephemeris app to determine the Moon’s position and predict the perfect place and time to capture it.
Pink Supermoon: The biggest and brightest of the year
A series of this year’s Supermoons started on March 9 and will end on May 7. The second in this series, April’s Supermoon, is one of the astronomical events that stargazers should not miss. The Full Moon in April will arrive with perigee and will be closer to our planet than other year’s Supermoons which makes it the biggest and the brightest Supermoon of 2020. Its distance from Earth will be 357,035 km (221,851 miles).
Watch for the biggest Full Moon of the year to light up the sky on the night of April 7. Supermoons are about 7% bigger and 15% brighter than typical Full Moons, however, this difference is usually difficult to notice with the naked eye.
Why is April's Full Moon called the Pink Moon? Is it really pink?
Known as the Pink Moon, April’s Full Moon has nothing to do with the pink color. On the night of April 7, the Moon will have its usual golden color near the horizon and fade to a bright white as it climbs higher in the sky.
If the Moon will not actually be pink, what is the meaning behind its name? Historically, the names of Full Moons were used to track the seasons. As a result, traditional full moon names are always closely related to nature and have seasonal associations. The name “Pink Moon” refers to the pink wildflowers called “Phlox subulata”, “Сreeping phlox” or “Moss phlox” that bloom in the early spring. That’s how this Full Moon got its “nickname”.
Other names of April’s Full Moon are the Egg Moon, the Fish Moon and the Sprouting Grass Moon.
Paschal Full Moon
The Pink Full Moon in April is the first Full Moon of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the Paschal Full Moon. It is the first Full Moon after the March equinox that is used in the determination of the Easter date. Easter falls on the first Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon. In 2020, it is April 12th.
