April's Pink Moon

Friends just call me Ross · April 9, 2017

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What's a Pink Moon?

In many cultures, people named the full moons as they happened throughout the year; it was a way to keep time.

Now we sometimes use nicknames derived from Native American myth or old European folk tales.

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the April full moon is known as the Pink Moon

because it marked the appearance of a flower called the moss pink, or phlox.

That's likely a Native American tradition because phlox is common in North America and Siberia, as opposed to Europe.

It is also called the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon and the Fish Moon.

April full moons mark festivals and holidays in other parts of the world:

...The April full moon will also mark the beginning of Passover for the Jewish people.

http://www.space.com/36040-april-full-moon.html

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The April full moon will rise this week on Tuesday (April 11), reaching its fullest phase late at night,

just after the bars close in most cities on the U.S. East Coast.

April's full moon is known as the Pink Moon, but don't expect it to look particularly pink.

It is named after pink flowers called wild ground phlox, which bloom in early spring

and become widespread throughout the U.S. and Canada this time of year.

Technically, the full phase — when the moon is on the exact opposite side of the Earth as the sun — happens at 2:08 a.m. EDT (0608 GMT).

For skywatchers on the West Coast, the moon will reach peak fullness at 11:08 p.m. PDT on Monday (April 10).

That said, the moon will appear full to casual observers everywhere from April 10 to April 12.