ATTN SKYWATCHERS: Look for the April Pink Moon tonight

Though it is called a ‘pink moon,’ it will not appear to be pink

Attention skywatchers!

Tonight, April 5, look up to see April’s full moon, dubbed the “Pink Moon,” in all of its glory.

The April Pink Moon is named for the flowers and trees that bloom during spring. While it’s called a “Pink Moon,” the moon will not actually appear to be pink.

According to NASA, the Maine Farmers’ Almanac began publishing “Indian” names for the full moons in the 1930s.

This Almanac says the full moon in April is the “Pink Moon,” named after the herb moss pink, also known as creeping phlox, moss phlox, or mountain phlox, a plant native to the eastern USA that is one of the earliest widespread flowers of spring, NASA reported.

There are also several other names for this full moon, NASA said, which include Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Fish Moon, as this was when the shad swam upstream to spawn.

If you snap any photos of the night sky, be sure to send them our way via Pin It! Who knows, maybe you’ll end up as our Picture of the Day feature on TV!

Not sure how to use Pin It? No problem.

How to use Pin It:

  • Click “Upload a Pin” and choose a picture or video,
  • Choose “Holidays” as the channel,
  • Select “Easter” as the category,
  • Include a description (optional)
  • Hit submit!

About the Authors

Alli Graham came aboard the digital team as an evening digital content producer in June 2022.

Chief Meteorologist Jeff Haniewich is an American Meteorological Society (AMS) Certified Broadcaster, forecasting weather conditions in southwest Virginia on WSLS 10 News at 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m. every weekday.

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