Pink Moon: The biggest and brightest full moon we’ve seen this year rises Monday night
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 07: The super pink moon, the biggest supermoon of the year, is shown shortly after rising on April 7, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The pink moon got its name because the April full moon occurs at the same time the pink wildflower Phlox subulata blooms in North America. A supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with its perigee, which is its closest approach to the Earth. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Our next full moon will rise late Monday night, and it’s also one of two supermoons we will see this year.
A supermoon is when the moon is within 90% of perigee, or at one of the closest points to Earth we see. This makes for the biggest, brightest full moons we see all year.
This upcoming full moon will be at its biggest and brightest at 11:31 p.m. ET on Monday. Check this moonrise calculator to see when the supermoon might start climbing into the sky near you.
The moon will appear to the naked eye to be full for close to three days, from Sunday evening until Wednesday morning.
The full moon in April is known as the Pink Moon, coined from creeping phlox, an herb moss that is one of the earliest springtime flowers to bloom. Other names for April’s full moon include the Fish Moon, Sprouting Grass Moon, and the Egg Moon.
In an average year, we see between two to four supermoons. This year, the biggest full moons we will see are this full moon and the full moon on May 26. May’s full moon will end up being the biggest looking moon we see for the year, but it only beats Monday’s full moon by .04%.