How To See Pink Full ‘Minimoon’ This Weekend – ryan

Lunar enthusiasts can get a view the first full moon of spring, known as the Pink Moon, this weekend.

The full moon will occur on April 12 at 8:22 p.m. ET, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanacthe oldest almanac in the United States, dating to 1792.

“For the best view of this stunning spring Moon, head to an open area and watch as it rises above the horizon. At this moment, it will appear larger than usual due to the Moon illusion and take on a beautiful golden hue,” the almanac says. The moon illusion is an optical effect where the moon appears larger near the horizon.

The full moon takes place about 22 hours before reaching apogee, which happens on April 13 at 6:49 p.m. ET. Apogee is the point when the moon is farthest from Earth. The full moon is categorized as a “micromoon”—the opposite of a supermoon—when it occurs near the apogee point. So, the full moon will appear smaller and dimmer than usual, according to the almanac.

This “minimoon” is expected to appear about 14 percent smaller and 30 percent dimmer near apogee than when it is at perigee—the point when the moon is closest to Earth, according to an article in BBC Sky at Night magazine.

Flooded entirely by light, the surface of the moon is washed out during a full moon. So, viewers may find it hard to decipher its craters and other features. The Pink Moon will be joined by Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, which can be spotted above and to the left of the full moon, according to BBC Sky at Night.

April’s full moon was referred to as the Pink Moon by the Indian tribes of the Northeast U.S., according to the Maine Farmers’ AlmanacNASA explained.

The Pink Moon was named for a flower called moss pink. Also known as creeping phlox, moss phlox or mountain phlox, moss pink is a plant native to the eastern part of the country and is among the earliest widespread flowers of spring, NASA says.

Other names for April’s full moon include the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon as well as the Fish Moon among coastal tribes, as this was when shad swam upstream to spawn, NASA notes.

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