The April Moon

Have you ever heard of a pink moon? The pink moon only happens in April, as it is the first full moon of Spring. Luckily, there was a chance to see it on April 26.. The area around the Moon turned a pink hue from distributions of atmospheric debris changing, resulting in a more reddish-orange hue. 

The name came from the Native Americans naming the supermoon after the Phlox flower. The moon in a new or full phase is either facing away from or towards the Earth. According to an article from Newsweek, “At this point, the side of the Moon that faces towards us will be fully illuminated, appearing like a perfect circle.”  

The Moon is exceptionally bright in this period. It is a supermoon, meaning it is at its closest point to Earth giving it a slightly larger appearance and much brighter than normal. In an article published in Forbes, “Things like clouds, dust, haze, smoke or pollution are what actually cause the Moon to appear different colors by scattering much of the blue light shining on our natural satellite, leaving it with a more reddish tone.” 

The perigee is the closest point of the Moon or satellite to the planet. The syzygy is when the Earth and Moon or any other satellite line up directly with the Sun and the Earth. The perigee is the point of the supermoon, being the shortest distance from the Earth, creating what we call a pink moon. It is a sight to behold the bright streets that the Moon will illuminate, to see this event is a great way to stay current in the changing lunar cycles.