‘Pink Moon’ will light up the sky this weekend — but it isn’t exactly what you think
A “Pink Moon” will soon light up the sky — but it’s probably not what you think.
April’s full moon will happen Saturday, April 16. It’s traditionally been called the Pink Moon, but it’s not because of its color. The moon won’t appear pink, and the sky won’t give off pink hues.
In fact, it’ll likely look like your typical big and bright full moon. So what’s with the name?
The month’s full moon originally got its colorful nickname because April is the time of year when a certain pink wildflower blooms, according to NASA.
“This is the Pink Moon, named after the herb moss pink, also known as creeping phlox, moss phlox, or mountain phlox, a plant native to the eastern U.S. that is one of the earliest widespread flowers of spring,” NASA reported.
If it wasn’t wacky enough, this month’s moon has also been known to go by several other names. Among those, according to Space.com:
- Sprouting Grass Moon
- Egg Moon
- Fish Moon
- Sucker Moon
The moon has also been called the Paschal Moon if it happens before Easter, according to NASA.
“Paschal is the Latinized version of Pesach,” NASA said. “Generally, the Christian holiday of Easter, also called Pascha, is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring.”
The moon will appear opposite the sun and appear full shortly before 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 16, according to NASA. It will appear full for about three days from Friday morning until Monday.
The next full moon will accompany a total eclipse of the moon, according to NASA, which will peak on Monday, May 16.
This story was originally published April 14, 2022 at 11:10 AM with the headline "‘Pink Moon’ will light up the sky this weekend — but it isn’t exactly what you think."