The moon will treat the Earth to a spectacular show this week.
According to NASA, the full moon that peaks Monday night will mark the first “supermoon” of 2021 — meaning the moon will look larger and brighter than normal.
That’s because it will be closer to Earth than normal. Because the moon’s orbit around the Earth isn’t a perfect circle, its distance from Earth varies. On Monday, the moon will be about 225,000 miles away from the Earth, when at times it can be as far away as 250,000 miles.
According to NASA, any full moon that occurs when the moon is within 90% of its closest approach to Earth is called a "supermoon."
Monday’s event is also being referred to as the “Super Pink Moon,” but it will have nothing to do with the moon's color.
The Pink Moon is the Old Farmer’s Almanac nickname for April’s full moon. According to the Almanac, the “Pink Moon” got its name because it often corresponds with the early springtime blooms of creeping phlox, a flower native to northern and eastern North America.
NASA notes that April’s full moon is also sometimes referred to as “the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, the Fish Moon, the Paschal Moon.”
According to NASA, the Super Pink Moon will occur Monday at 11:32 p.m. ET, but the moon will appear full to the naked eye from Sunday night through Wednesday morning.
Those that miss the Super Pink Moon don’t need to worry — there’s another supermoon in store next month. According to NASA, the Super Flower Moon in May will be slightly closer to Earth by about 100 miles.