April Pink Moon

Silvana Mandeville
Writer, Ravenclaw

Hello, Dear Readers! Meet again with Silvana! So everyone, on April and May, we have seen two Supermoons for 2021. Have you ever wondered why they're called Supermoon? The term "supermoon" was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 and refers to either a new or full Moon that occurs when the Moon is within 90% of perigee, its closest approach to Earth. Since we can't see a new Moon (except when it passes in front of the Sun), what has caught the public's attention in recent decades are full supermoons, as these are the biggest and brightest full Moons for the year.

These two full Moons are virtually tied, with the full Moon on May 26, 2021, slightly closer to the Earth than the full Moon on April 26, 2021, but only by about 98 miles (157 kilometers), or about 0.04% of the distance from the Earth to the Moon at perigee.

Apart from being called a Supermoon, Full Moon on April has another name which is Pink Moon. Why so? Is it because the moon is pink? Or because you can see many flowers on the moon? xD. 

The Full Moon in April is traditionally referred as the Pink Moon by American tribes and colonial settlers in United States. However, this does not mean that the Moon has a pink color, but because it coincides with the blooming of spring flowers in the northern hemisphere.

The American tribes generally give different names or nicknames to the Full Moon each month. This tradition has been popularized in the last few decades by Farmers' Almanacs in United States.

According to this almanac, as the full Moon in April, this is the Pink Moon, named after the herb moss pink, also known as creeping phlox, moss phlox, or mountain phlox. The plant is native to the eastern United States and is one of the earliest widespread flowers of spring.

Other names for this Moon include the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes of North America, the Fish Moon, as this was when the shad swam upstream to spawn.

Sources: 
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/1818/the-next-full-moon-is-a-supermoon-pink-moon/
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.suara.com/tekno/2021/04/27/093000/saksikan-pink-supermoon-malam-ini-terbesar-dan-tercerah-di-2021