This Tuesday, you can witness a stunning Pink Moon, or Supermoon, Nasa said in a post on its website.
The moon, which will appear opposite the Sun at 11.32pm EDT on Monday (7.32am Tuesday, UAE time), will appear full for three days.
Why is this Supermoon event called a Pink Moon?
The name is drawn from the American Indian moon names for the months of the year. The moon was so named after the herb moss pink, which is also known as creeping phlox, moss phlox, or mountain phlox. The plant native to the eastern United States is one of the earliest indicators of Spring.
The event is also called by other names in other cultures. Some of the other names are: Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, and Fish Moon.
What is a Supermoon?
Astrologer Richard Nolle coined the term ‘Supermoon’ back in 1979. It refers to a new or full Moon that is within 90 per cent of perigee, its closest approach to Earth. These tend to be the biggest and brightest Moons of the year.
Nasa says the two full moon events this year – in April and May – are tied. The full Moon on May 26 will be slightly closer to the Earth than the full Moon on April 26, but only by about 157 kilometers, or about 0.04 per cent of the distance from the Earth to the Moon at perigee.
