Full 'Pink Moon' will rise in the night sky this Easter

Saturday, 20 Apr, 2019

The moon will be its normal light orange color, but because it's early spring, the April full moon has come to be known as the "pink moon".

Those who miss the full moon Friday morning will still be able to catch it on Friday night, as it will still appear full, according to AccuWeather. Each full moon had a different name to reflect what was going on during that particular season, according to The Farmer's Almanac.

Just to manage expectations here, it won't actually be pink: a "Pink Moon" is the term for the full moon in April.

Pink Moon will be visible around the world, depending on the weather, on Friday, April 19, night.

The one that will shine this Friday was named after spring flower "moss pink".

Stargazers are in for a treat this week, as a "pink moon" is expected to illuminate the sky. In June, the full moon will be called Strawberry Moon. The full moon in April has also some more nicknames that include Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon and the Fish Moon. Unfortunately, this means the Full Moon will not be turning a bright pink colour today.

The moon will appear larger than usual because it will be three days past perigee, the point at which it orbits closest to Earth, meaning it will nearly be a supermoon.

In other words, the moon is completely sunlight and appears to us from the earth as a round white disk.

In New Zealand, the Māori people called the April moon "Paenga-whāwhā", describing the month as a time when "all straw is now stacked at the borders of the plantations".

Skywatchers will typically observe around 20 meteors per hour.

When is the next full moon and what is it called?