Make sure you don’t miss the first supermoon of the year!
Supermoons are special for so many people across the globe, bringing a level celestial energy rarely seen outside of the rare phenomenon. Luckily, this year we’ll be seeing three supermoons light up the night sky, and tonight’s is set to be the biggest and fullest of the season!
Occurring on the night of Monday April 26, this is the first supermoon of the year and the highlight of astronomical events this month!
I can’t wait to see the pink super moon April 26. Catch me star gazing all night pic.twitter.com/xvqo6oowjQ
— 𝙷𝚄𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙾𝙻𝙳𝙷𝙰𝙼 (@oldamm7) April 21, 2021
This variation is called the ‘pink supermoon’ not because it’s pink, but because it’s seen during spring when a certain type of pink flower is known to blossom. There’s a connection to Native American tribes, who connected the occurrence with the spring flower ground phlox (or moss pink). Phlox can range in color from light pink to violet.
A supermoon occurs when a full moon is at its closest orbital point to Earth (called the perigee). It’s 30 percent brighter in the night sky and 14 percent larger than when the moon is at its apogee (the furthest point from Earth).
So get your cameras out, New Orleans! It’s time to snatch up some gorgeous pictures of Louisiana under the supermoon! 9:31pm ET is when you can catch the moon at its fullest, but 11:30pm ET is when you can catch it at its brightest!
There will also be a second supermoon occurring on 26 May 2021, but this is happening during another astronomical event – a total lunar eclipse! This will cause the May supermoon to appear blood-red in the sky as it’s obscured by the Earth’s shadow.
[Featured image from Twitter / @DerekMellott]