Look up next week, and you’ll be able to spot the biggest and brightest full moon we’ll see all year. April’s full moon, also known as the Pink Moon, officially arrives on April 7, at precisely 10:35 p.m. EDT.
This month’s full moon is the second in a series of three consecutive supermoons, a phenomenon that occurs when the full moon is within 90% of the closest distance it could be to Earth in its monthly orbit. Or, put more simply, when when the full moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to Earth in its orbit, making it look slightly larger than usual. And while supermoons are only a little bit bigger and brighter than a regular full moon, they’re still notable for how infrequently they occur throughout the year.
The full moon on March 9 was the first supermoon of the year and, on May 7, we’ll be able to see our third and final supermoon of 2020.
April’s full supermoon is special, however, because it’s the closest — only 221,772 miles from Earth.
While April’s full moon is known as the Pink Moon, it doesn’t mean the moon will actually be pink. It got its name because April’s full moon appears at roughly the same time as the earliest wildflowers of spring — more specifically, the pink-colored creeping phlox.
April’s full moon has other nicknames, too — like Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon and Fish Moon — because it also coincides with grass growing, birds laying eggs and fish swimming upstream to spawn.
Finally, April’s full moon is the first full moon of the spring season, which means it’s this year’s Paschal Full Moon, which determines the date of Easter.
