This month’s full Pink Moon will dazzle stargazers tomorrow night (April 23).
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The Pink Moon will be on full display at exactly 7:49 PM ET tomorrow. But from Earth, we likely won’t notice that it’s at its peak. According to NASA, the moon will look full for three days. So from Monday through Thursday, we’ll all notice a shockingly bright and round moon in the sky.
Unfortunately, the full moon will not look pink as the name suggests. Instead, it will be golden or orange as it usually is.
NASA explained that the term “Pink Moon” originated from Native Americans who associated the monthly moon with the spring flowers Phlox subulata, more commonly known as moss phlox or creeping phlox. The flowers can bloom in multiple colors, but they’re most often a bright pink. And they start popping up in April.
The Maine Farmers’ Almanac began referring to full moons by their Indian names in the 1930s. Pink Moon comes from tribes in the eastern United States. Tribes in other parts of the country dubbed the moon Egg Moon, Fish Moon, or Sprouting Grass Moon.
Some believe the springtime pink full moon is a symbol of letting go. And, just as the season brings rebirth and renewal to nature, it should push us into fresh starts of our own.
Those who take a moment to marvel at the moon may also notice another cosmic spectacle, the Lyrid meteor shower. While Saturday and Sunday were the best nights to watch for shooting starts, the show will continue for another week.
The meteor shower happens when Earth passes through the C/1861 G1 Thatcher debris field. During the peak nights, it was possible to see up to 100 meteors an hour, but on typical nights, people will see around 10 to 20 per hour. However, the light from the full moon will make the shooting stars less visible.
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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