CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — There will be a Full Moon tonight on Friday, April 22, 2016 that is also known as a Pink Moon.
What time is tonight’s Pink Moon?
Tonight’s Pink Moon will begin with a moonrise over the Atlantic Ocean on the U.S. east coast at 8:25 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time with a slight time variation depending on the viewer’s exact location.
Is the April 2016 Full Moon supposed to be pink tonight?
A Full Moon in April is also called a Pink Moon. But the time of year that a Full Moon appears does not affect its color. A Full Moon in April is called a Pink Moon because Colonial Americans learned that name from Native Americans who associated the April Full Moon with the blooming of pink flowers in Spring, according to the Farmer’s Amanac. Other names for April’s Full Moon are also associated with Springtime: Full Sprouting Grass Moon (spouting vegetation in Spring), Egg Moon (animal mating in Spring), and Full Fish Moon (when fish spawn in spring).
Will tonight’s Full Moon be Pink?
The Full Moon on April 22, 2016 will likely be pearly-gray to most locations on Earth just like any other Full Moon. But particles in the local atmosphere caused by weather, forest fires, volcanoes, and pollution can filter out certain colors of the moon. This is especially true when the moon rises or sets near the horizon and the sunlight reflecting from the moon has more atmosphere to travel through before reaching the viewer on Earth. Moons have appeared pink, yellow, red, blue, green, and (most often) orange.
Below is a video of an April Full Moon that first appeared to be pink when it first appeared over the horizon. The Moon then changed from pink to orange (and later yellow) as it rose higher in the sky.
