April's Super "Pink" Moon Will Be This Year's Biggest And Brightest Full Moon!
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On April 7, 2020, the skies will be lit up with a Super "Pink" Moon — the brightest and biggest full moon we will encounter all year! Though Earth's natural satellite promises to be spectacular, that night, those hoping for a pink hue will be disappointed. April's full moon gets its name from pink wildflowers called phlox that bloom in early spring. Though the moniker is misleading, it is undoubtedly better than the alternative nicknames, which include sprouting grass moon, fish moon, and hare moon!
Supermoons, which are usually about seven percent bigger and 15 percent brighter than the average full moon, occur when the full moon coincides with lunar perigee — the Moon's closest point to Earth in its orbit. On April 7, 2020, the moon will be about 221,773 miles (356,909 km) away from Earth. This is just a few hundred miles further than the November 2016 supermoon, which at 221,524 miles (356,508 km), was the closest distance we have experienced in recent history.
The distance between the Moon and Earth varies because of the satellite's oval orbit, which brings it closer to and farther from Earth as it goes around. The farthest point in this ellipse, called the apogee, takes the moon approximately 253,000 miles (407,164 km) away from Earth. In contrast, during perigee, the Moon generally comes to within 226,000 miles (363, 711 km) of Earth.
Though some people believe that a supermoon's proximity results in earthquakes and tidal waves, scientists have found no correlation. They recommend using the rare opportunity of a supermoon to capture and share spectacular pictures and to reflect on how fortunate we all are to be living on this beautiful planet.
Resources: NASA.gov, earthsky.org
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288 Comments
- whatswithyouabout 4 yearsI saw it. It was really bright, but not as big. I will agree with 12axoltls21 with that.
- fishy1022about 4 yearsI don't get it how could the moon be pink. PS: soo COOL
- noseyabout 4 yearsIm sad its gone :( :( :( But it was cool at the time
- 12axoltls21about 4 yearsI saw it it was really bright but not to big
- lunagood35about 4 yearsI missed the pink moon:( It was raining and very cloudy where I live
- queenscience12about 4 yearsI missed it too. :(
- dogsareawesome7about 4 yearssame:(
- thereealmarshmeabout 4 yearsim doing it for my events to??? :) it does look cool
- wavyroseabout 4 yearsSame! Current event for science :) It really is cool.
- eesha09about 4 yearsI am doing this for my current events because it looks interesting. I have before heard about it before!
- xenoculusabout 4 yearsI did, but it looked small.
- darkgalaxy123about 4 yearsyeah I did not see the pink moon
- mangogirlabout 4 yearsI can’t believe I missed it!