The pink supermoon rises next to the San Jacinto Monument in La Porte on Tuesday, April 7, 2020. The park is now closed with other state parks because of COVID_19.
Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer
The first full moon of spring, called a Pink Moon or Paschal Moon, will take place Saturday and it has a unique tie to the Easter holiday.
Look to the sky and the rising moon around 7:22 p.m. Saturday to witness April’s full Pink Moon, although it may not have a rosy hue.
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The Pink Moon or Paschal Moon has significance in Christianity and Judaism.
“This Paschal Moon marks the first full moon of spring and is used to determine the date of Easter,” according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, a record containing weather forecasts, planting charts, astronomical data, recipes and articles. “April’s full moon has religious significance. In Christianity, it’s known as the Lenten Moon if it’s the last full moon of winter (before the spring equinox) or the Paschal Full Moon if it’s the first ecclesiastical full moon of spring (after the equinox).”
Easter Sunday is April 20 with Holy Week starting Sunday.
For the Jewish faith, the April full moon falls in the month of Nisan, on the lunar Hebrew calendar. The Passover holiday starts at sunset Saturday.
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The pink supermoon rises next to the San Jacinto Monument in La Porte on Tuesday, April 7, 2020. The park is now closed with other state parks because of COVID_19.
Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer
While the almanac calls it the Pink Moon, visually it most likely will not appear pink. The name has more to do with a pink flower.
“The name ‘Pink Moon’ comes from the bloom of ground phlox, a pink flower common in North America. Other names for this moon include the Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon and Fish Moon,” according to Space.com.
This moon is classified as a “micromoon,” which is the opposite of a supermoon, according to the almanac. It will appear slightly smaller and dimmer than usual as the moon is at the farthest point from Earth in this phase. A supermoon occurs when the moon is the closest to the earth and appears brighter and larger, according to NASA information on supermoons.
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A cloud passes in front of a full moon on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024 in Houston. Tuesday night?s full moon not just a full moon, but SuperMoon, a Harvest moon and a corn moon, that also featured a partial lunar eclipse, photographed on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024 in Houston.
Elizabeth Conley/Staff Photographer
Texans who missed the mid-March Blood Moon, which was in the middle of the night, should have a better chance of viewing the Pink Moon just at sunset.
For the best view, the almanac suggests going to an open area and watching the moon as it rises above the horizon.
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The next full moon after Saturday is set for Monday, May 12, and is called the Flower Moon, according to Astronomy.com.
The Flower Moon name relates to the many spring blooms found in North America in May.
