How to observe the lyrical rain and the pink supermoon 1:03
(CNN) -
The full moon in April is the "pink" moon and it is also a supermoon.
Look at her in the night sky this Monday.
This moon will reach its maximum fullness on Monday at 11:32 p.m. ET, according to NASA.
Supermoons appear bigger and brighter in the sky because they are slightly closer to Earth.
Interpretations of what qualifies as a supermoon can vary, but generally there are two to four moons that reach this threshold, based on the distance between the Moon and Earth, in a given year.
By some definitions, April will be one of four supermoons in a row, including last month's "worm moon" and two more expected in May and June.
According to NASA, all posts agree that at least the April and May moons fit the rankings.
This supermoon will be the second closest full moon of the year, according to EarthSky.
And although it's called a pink moon, it's not actually a different color.
advertising
This moon gets its name from the early spring pink flowers of the Phlox subulata plant, also called "moss pink."
It is native to eastern North America.
Native American tribes in the United States have their own names for the moon, according to the Western Washington University Planetarium.
Many of those names are also associated with the signs of spring, including the melting of snow and the return of geese after their journey south for the winter.
The Cherokee tribe of the east coast call it "kawohni" or "flower moon," and the Creek tribe of the southeast refer to it as "Tasahcee-rakko" or "great spring moon."
There are also several religious celebrations that line up with this moon, according to NASA.
For Eastern Christians, this is the full moon before Easter, which is why it is known as the Easter Moon.
(Eastern Christianity marks Easter on Sunday, May 2).
For Hindus it is Hanuman Jayanti, the celebration of the birth of Lord Hanuman.
For Buddhists, it is Bak Poya, which marks the Buddha's visit to Sri Lanka to resolve a dispute between chiefs, avoiding a war.
This full moon is also close to the middle of the holy month of Ramadan, which Muslims observe in honor of the revelation of the Quran.
As in any normal year, 2021 will have 12 full moons.
(There were 13 full moons last year, two of which were in October.)
Here are all the full moons left this year and their names, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac:
April 26 - Pink Moon
May 26 - Flower Moon
June 24 - Strawberry Moon
July 23 - Deer Moon
August 22 - Sturgeon Moon
September 20 - Harvest Moon
October 20 - Hunter's Moon
November 19 - Beaver Moon
December 18 - Cold Moon
Be sure to check the other names of these moons as well, attributed to their respective Native American tribes.
MoonSupermoon
