Pink Supermoon Dazzles Early Morning Skies Around The World As It Appears 30% Brighter And 14% Bigger Than Usual

Apr 27, 2021 by apost team

Everyone loves a full moon, but believe it or not, this week the full moon has something extra special to offer viewers across the globe.

This morning, the pink supermoon peaked across the world as it dazzled with 30% more brightness and a 14% bigger appearance. This incredible phenomenon is rare, as it occurs when the moon is at its closest to Earth. This point of closeness is not easy to achieve given Earth's orbit. However, usually around this time of year in Spring, often April, the moon gets closer and is able to be seen at a brightness and largeness that doesn't usually occur on every other day of the year.

Although the name 'pink' has more to do with the season than the actual color of the moon, many places around the world get a glimpse of the moon with a gorgeous pink hue — while others just get an extra glowing version of the normal white or yellow color — and photographers have captured this unique color beautifully. With photographers based in the United States, the UK, and other places around the world, there are plenty of opportunities to see gorgeous photos of the pink supermoon, even if you didn't get the chance to spot it yourself.

The pink supermoon was first spotted Monday night and Tuesday morning, at its peak. However, it's not too late! Read on to learn more about the pink supermoon that started last night, and exactly how long it will last so you can catch a glimpse before it's gone!

According to Smithsonian Magazine, a supermoon describes the moment that the moon reaches its closest point to earth during its orbit. With that said, supermoons are perhaps not as spectacular as they sound since they are only about seven percent larger and 15 percent brighter than the average full moon.

While astrologer Richard Noelle introduced the now popular and more colloquial term supermoon, the technical term for the astrological event is “perigee-syzyg,” according to Smithsonian Magazine. The term perigee describes a moon that is at its closest point in orbit. At this stage in its orbit, the moon appears to change in size because the orbit isn’t perfectly circular. That means that the moon can be closer or further to the earth, depending on where the moon is in its elliptical orbit. Back in 2016, scientists observed the closest supermoon ever, which was around 221,000 miles from earth compared to the moon’s apogee this year in March — when it's furthest from the earth — which was around 252,707 miles away. As one astronomer explained back in 2016, the term supermoon isn’t exactly scientific.

“It didn't have much science behind it, except that he coined a term for when the moon was full, when it was 90 percent of the closest distance it could be to Earth. And a couple of years ago, it just caught on,” Jackie Faherty, an astronomer at the American Museum of Natural History, told NPR. “I think it's just because someone took the word 'super' and put it in front of the word 'moon.'”

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Beyond being a supermoon, some are also calling the April 27 lunar event a pink moon, though that name is also a bit misleading. The moon’s “pink” designation doesn’t derive from its color; rather, it gets its name from the pink flowers that bloom during the spring. In other words, the moon on April 27 will be orange earlier in the evening and white later at night — as usual.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, there are a plethora of unscientific names for April moons, which all seem to allude to the season. There’s the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Fish Moon and even the Egg Moon. Although the name may be misleading, the moon's color varies based on where someone is viewing it from. In the photo from Stonehenge above, the moon indeed has a pink hue, whereas in the photo from New York below, the moon is more of a classic white-ish yellow shade. 

Accoring to Express, astronomer Tom Kerss said this moon is one of four sequential supermoons to have taken place in 2021. He said:

"On Monday, the Full Moon arrives and it's the second of four sequential Supermoons for 2021. Last month's Full Moon in March was about 96 percent of its theoretical largest and brightest, but on Monday it will reach 99.5 percent. With your eyes alone, you can see large, dark features on the Moon, which are the larger maria or 'seas' on the lunar surface."

If you didn't get the chance to catch the moon this morning, there might still be a chance to catch it tonight. According to NASA, the moon will even appear full through to Wednesday morning. 

What do you think about the pink supermoon? Did you get to see it this morning? Will you be trying to catch another glimpse tonight? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to pass this on to your friends and family so they don't miss out on this gorgeous moon!