The ‘Pink Moon’ Rises Tonight — Here’s How The Full Moon Of April Got Its Name

The full moon of April is nearly upon us. Traditionally known as the “Pink Moon,” this month’s full moon rises tonight and will light up the sky at about 8 p.m. ET.

While the actual peak of the full moon occurred earlier this morning – Space pinpointed the time when the moon became 100 percent full to 7:12 a.m. ET – sky watchers will still be treated to a spectacular moonrise later tonight.

According to IFL Science, the “Pink Moon” is all set to rise at “around 8 p.m. local time (whether you are in the U.K., on the East Coast, or the West Coast) and set tomorrow morning around 7 a.m.”

“The sun will be up for about an hour before the moon sets, so if you’re an early riser, you can look forward to that as well.”

Just like all of the other full moons in the calendar, the April full moon goes by many different names, the most popular of which is the “Full Pink Moon.” However, the moniker has nothing to do with the actual color of the moon – the full moon of April does not, in fact, turn pink as it climbs over the horizon – but rather with a special seasonal flower that blooms around this time of year.

https://twitter.com/almanac/status/1119288944095637504

“April’s full moon is called the ‘Full Pink Moon,’ heralding the appearance of the ‘moss pink,’ or wild ground phlox — one of the early spring flowers,” notes The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Also known as “grass pink,” wild ground phlox is one of first spring flowers to bloom, covering the ground in a pink blanket of blossoms around the time of April’s full moon.

Is millenial pink still a thing? No? Well, what if we made it a thing again? Tonight you can spot the full #PinkMoon in the sky, named after a pink wildflower ??

Find out why full moons are named what they are here: https://t.co/9IqYCIRvrI pic.twitter.com/kEYvgDRIzA

— Royal Museums Greenwich (@RMGreenwich) April 19, 2019

Aside from being called the “Pink Moon,” the full moon of April is also referred to as the “Sprouting Grass Moon,” the “Egg Moon,” and the “Fish Moon” – the last of these monikers being inspired by the influx of shad fish that swim upstream to spawn during this time of year, per a previous report from The Inquisitr.

Its colorful name aside, the April full moon boasts a special significance due to its connection with the Christian Easter holiday and the Jewish Passover. As the first full moon of spring, the “Pink Moon” typically becomes a Paschal Moon and is used to pinpoint the dates for Easter and Passover.

Another interesting fact about the 2019 “Pink Moon” is that it will almost be a supermoon. As The Inquisitr reported last month, when the final supermoon of 2019 – the March “Super Full Worm Moon” – graced the skies in a memorable celestial display, a supermoon occurs when the full moon coincides with the perigee, or the moon’s closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit around our planet. Given that the “Pink Moon” will bloom on the night sky just three days after the moon hit perigee on April 16, this month’s full moon was quite close to becoming a supermoon.