There’s a strange moon rising this evening. Look up at the sky at around 7:49 p.m. EDT to see the “pink” moon. If you are not located on the East Coast, check out this tool to find the moonrise in your neck of the woods. According to NASA, the moon will appear full to the naked eye until Thursday.
Okay, we’ll bite: What’s a pink moon?
The name has nothing to do with a recent Greta Gerwig film. Beginning in the 1930s, the Farmer’s Almanac took inspiration from Native American, Colonial American, and European sources to name not only the monthly full moons but the entire lunar month. April marks the month that wildflowers begin to bloom. Specifically, the Phlox subulata—more commonly known as creeping phlox or moss pink—makes an appearance. This is how the name pink moon came to be.
April’s moon has other spring-inspired names. The Algonquin people called it Breaking Ice Moon. The Oglala referred to it as the Moon of the Red Grass Appearing, while the Dakota labeled it Moon When the Geese Lay Eggs.
Different world religions also get in on the moon celebrations, with the spring moon carrying a special spiritual significance. In Judaism, this moon coincides with Passover. For many Hindus, this moon falls during the Hanuman Jayanti festival, which celebrates the birth of Lord Hanuman. In Buddhism, this moon is called Bak Poya. This marks the time when Buddha traveled to Sri Lanka to help avoid war among chiefs.
The moon is our closest neighbor and technically classified as a natural satellite because it orbits around the Earth and not the sun. It is believed that the moon was formed when a Mars-like planet and the Earth crashed into each other. Without the moon, Earth would wobble on its axis, our climate would not be as stable, and tides would be much smaller.
So tonight, when you’re gazing at the mysterious celestial body in all its glory, be sure to say thank you. The moon is slowly moving away from us at a rate of an inch a year, so a little gratitude couldn’t hurt.
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