Why is April full moon called a Pink Moon and what it means
05.04.2023 - 16:54
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
The fourth full moon of the year, called the Pink Moon, will be visible in the sky above the UK tonight (Wednesday April 5).
It will reach its peak brightness at about 5.34am on Thursday morning, according to the Royal Observatory Greenwich. However it will appear full for the next few days, until Friday morning (April 7), according to NASA.
Full moons occur every 29.5 days, which is the time it takes for the moon to orbit the Earth and complete one lunar phase cycle. There will be 13 full moons this year, with two falling in August.
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Despite its name, tonight's Pink Moon isn't actually pink in colour - but how did it earn its title? Full moons were named by the Maine Farmers' Almanac which began publishing Native American names for full Moons almost 100 years ago.
According to this almanac, April's full moon was named the Pink Moon after the herb moss pink, which is also known as creeping phlox, moss phlox, or mountain phlox. It is one of the earliest widespread flowers of spring, native to the USA and Canada, according to NASA.
Other names for this moon include the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon and the Fish Moon It is also known as the Pesach or Passover Moon, as Pesach or Passover begins at sundown on the day the moon reaches its peak.
NASA explained: "In the Christian ecclesiastical calendar this is the Paschal Moon, from which the date of Easter is calculated. Generally, the Christian holiday of Easter, also called Pascha, is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full Moon of spring.
"However, there are differences between the times of these astronomical events and the calendars used by the Eastern and