While you stay-at-home due to the Coronavirus, why don't you take the time to look at the skies on Tuesday, April 7? The full Moon is now here, and it is expected to be bigger than what you usually see at night. Expect to see this week the biggest and brightest first Supermoon of 2020 that will showcase it 15% brighter and larger than usual. The reason behind this is that the Moon will be at its closest proximity with the Earth. But why is it sometimes called the 'Pink Moon'?
On Tuesday, you'll see the brightest and biggest full Moon of 2020!
Are you in the habit of looking up at the Moon every night? If yes, here's some great news for you. On Tuesday, everyone will have the chance to see the Moon closer than before. April's supermoon is the biggest Moon you can expect to see this year. It will 15% brighter than the average-size Moon and will be 30% larger when you compare it to a micro-moon.
This supermoon will happen precisely at 10:35 PM EDT on April 7-- so make sure to set a calendar event on your phone. According to Earthsky, the Moon will be closer on Tuesday because its proximity will be the closest to Earth. The next time it will be this close is still a few months away.
"The Moon comes closest to the Earth for the entire year when it reaches perigee on Apr. 7, 2020, at 18:08 UTC. Of this year's 13 lunar perigees, this is one of only two lunar perigees that comes closer than 221,830 miles (357,000 km)," as explained by Earthsky.
Why is it called 'Pink Moon'?
April's supermoon is also called the 'Full Pink Moon.' Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with the color Pink. And you also will not see the Moon or skies turn pink. However, it does have an effect with a native flower only seen in North America.
As explained by the Old Farmer's Almanac, back in the day, April's full Moon represented the early springtime blooms of Phlox subulata, a pink wildflower native to eastern North America. The flower is commonly known as the creeping phlox or moss phlox -- called the "moss pink."
In ancient times, our ancestors also used the Moon to determine the seasons to know when the next appearance and blossom of rare flowers like the moss pink will be
This will be the second time the Earth's Moon will be bigger than its standard size. The first supermoon happened in March where it was called the "Super Worm Moon"' If you happen to miss April's full Moon, the next one will be in May which will then be called the "Super Flower Moon.''
If you have a telescope at home, you will see the bigger Moon with a better perspective. However, if you don't have one, you can still see it with your naked eye.
