Pink Moon: April 2019 Full Moon rises TODAY - But will it turn pink?
THE Pink Moon will rise tonight to bathe the night in its glow – but will the April Full Moon actually turn pink in the night skies?
What's the origin behind April's full PINK moon?
The Pink Moon is scheduled to light up the skies tonight (Friday, April 19) when the lunar orb hits peak illumination. Here in the UK, the Moon will reach its full glow about eight hours before it creeps over the evening horizon. The Full Moon will climax at 12.12pm BST (11.12am UTC) but will not be visible until after 8.05pm BST (7.05pm UTC). However, once the Moon rises over the horizon, it will be the brightest it has been all month – but will it be pink?
Will the Full Moon turn pink this week?
Keen astronomy observers might be disappointed to learn the Moon will not be turning pink tonight, although some Full Moons are known to turn reddish.
The Moon never truly changes its colour and whatever shift of hue is visible at night is caused by atmospheric effects.
The ominous Blood Moon for instance, when the Moon turns a deep orange to red colour, is caused by refracted sunlight scattering through Earth’s dusty atmosphere during a lunar eclipse.
A Pink Moon, however, can trace its bizarre name to the time-keeping traditions of Native American tribes on the east coast of America.
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According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, a guide to nature and astronomy, it was a common practice to name the Moon’s phases after the changing landscape.
The June Full Moon, for instance, is known as the Full Strawberry Moon because wild strawberries are ripe for collecting at that time of the year.
And the Full Beaver Moon in November signalled the time to hunt the toothy critters for their warm pelts ahead of winter.
Following this tradition, the Pink Moon is named after a particular breed of wildflower, which turns the fields pink when it sprouts around the early days of Spring.
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Ground phlox or Phlox stolonifera is a type of creeping wildflower native to the US, from the Appalachian Mountains to Pennsylvania and Northern Georgia.
April’s Full Moon is known as the Full Pink Moon
Amy Nieskens from the Old Farmer’s Almanac explained: “April’s Full Moon is known as the Full Pink Moon because it heralded the appearance of wild group phlox or moss pink, one of the first Spring flowers.
“It is also known by many other names to herald the start of Spring, including the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon and the Fish Moon.
“This month, in many areas of the country gardening season is in full swing.”
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Many of the Moon’s names prescribed by America’s native residents were adopted by colonial Europeans and have worked their way into modern vernacular.
The Royal Observatory Greenwich in London said: “Over time, different cultures have given names to full moons across the lunar calendar.
“Many of the Moon’s nicknames have come to us from Native American culture because for their way of life, the cycles of the lunar phases were just as important a method of timekeeping as the longer solar cycle of the year, as defined by the motion of the Sun.
“The number of Moon names differs slightly tribe to tribe, but many assign either 12 or 13 Full Moons to the year.”
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When is the next Full Moon and what is it called?
The next Full Moon stage of the lunar cycle will appear on the night of May 18, 2019.
The May Full Moon is commonly known as the Flower Moon and is named after the wildflowers that bloom in this month.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac explained: “Depending on the tribe, May’s full Moon was called the Full Flower Moon as well as Mother’s Moon, Milk Moon, and Corn Planting Moon.
“The May full Moon marked a time of increasing fertility, with temperatures warm enough for safely bearing young, a near end to late frosts, and plants in bloom.
“Here at The Old Farmer’s Almanac, we have long honoured the Native American Moon names and the folklore of those who came before us.”
What other Full Moon names are there this year?
- January 10 - Full Wolf Moon
- February 9 - Full Snow Moon
- March 21 - Full Worm Moon
- April 19 - Full Pink Moon
- May 18 - Full Flower Moon
- June 17 - Full Strawberry Moon
- July 16 - Full Buck Moon
- August 15 - Full Sturgeon Moon
- September 14 - Full Harvest Moon
- October 13 - Full Hunter’s Moon
- November 12 - Full Beaver Moon
- December 12 - Full Cold Moon
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The Old Farmer’s Almanac said: “Each tribe that did name the full Moons – and/or lunar months – had its own naming preferences.
“Some would use 12 names for the year while others might use 5, 6, or 7; also, certain names might change the next year.
“A full Moon name used by one tribe might differ from one used by another tribe for the same time period, or be the same name but represent a different time period.
“The name itself was often a description relating to a particular activity/event that usually occurred during that time in their location.”
And according to the astronomy website EarthSky.org, the Moon’s names are likely to be different in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
In the north for instance, the Harvest Moon in September is the Full Moon closest to Autumn, but in the south, Autumn starts around March or April.
The website explained: “Both the monthly names and the seasonal names necessarily favour either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere.
“That’s because the moon has different characteristics in the two hemispheres, at opposite times of year.”