The skies will be lit when a pink supermoon rises for a three-night show beginning Monday night.
The moon will appear larger because it is at its closest point to Earth this month, at 222,064 miles according to Space.com. This will be the first supermoon of 2021, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.
The pink moon will reach its full phase at 11:32 p.m. EDT, NASA reported. It will appear to be full through Wednesday morning.
The Maine Farmer’s Almanac began publishing Native American moon names for the months of the year during the 1930s, according to NASA. The full, or pink moon, in April, is named for the herb moss pink, also known as creeping phlox, moss phlox, or mountain phlox. The plant is native to the eastern United States and is one of the earliest flowers of spring, NASA said.
The moon can be seen in the constellation Libra, according to Space.com. The moon will make a rough right triangle with Arcturus, the brightest star in the constellation Boötes, and Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, Space.com said. The moon will rise in the southeast sky and climb as the night goes on.
You won’t have long to wait for the second supermoon of 2021. On May 26, the Flower Moon will only be 222,048 miles away -- the closest the moon will come to Earth, according to the Farmers Almanac. That moon will reach its full phase at 7:14 a.m. EDT.
NASA has set up a website, called NASA at Home, to help parents teach their children about space. The site includes e-books, virtual tours, videos and other educational materials.