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The supermoon is set to appear on Tuesday, April 7, according to NASA, which will be approximately .1 percent closer to the Earth than last month’s full moon, making the illusion that this will be the biggest and brightest moon this year.
The moon has been dubbed a “pink moon” by the Old Farmer’s Almanac because it “heralded the appearance of the moss pink, or wild ground phlox—one of the first spring flowers.”
This will be the third supermoon of the year, and will be the largest of four consecutive supermoons, providing area residents the chance to stretch their legs amid “stay-at-home” orders due to novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The supermoon will be shining brightly all night long, reaching its closest point at approximately 10:35 p.m. on Tuesday night. The sun is scheduled to set at approximately 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday.
NASA noted that the moon will appear full for approximately three days, through Thursday, April 9.
“The full moon will be at perigee-syzygy, meaning it will be closest to the Earth — 221,772 miles away — and the Earth, moon, and sun will all align,” according to space.com. “This means that when the moon is at perigee-syzygy, it will look larger and brighter than usual. But, because perigee-syzygy isn't that catchy, the term 'supermoon' came about and this particular full moon was additionally nicknamed the ‘Super Pink Moon.’ ”
According to NASA, “the term ‘supermoon’ was coined by the astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 and refers to either a new or full moon that occurs within 90 percent of perigee, its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit. Under this definition, in a typical year, there can be three or four full supermoons in a row and three or four new supermoons in a row.
“For 2020, the four full moons from February (through) May meet the 90 percent threshold, with the full moons in March and April nearly tied in size and brightness. This full Moon will be slightly closer to the Earth - about 0.1 percent - than the March’s full moon was, so this will be the ‘most super’ of the full supermoons this year.”
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