AMMAN — Jordanians
stepping outside tonight for a glimpse at the night sky may notice that the
moon is just a bit bigger and brighter than usual.
اضافة اعلان
April’s full
moon, rising on April 26th, is both a “pink” moon and a super moon. Supermoons occur when the rotations of the
planets bring the moon slightly closer to the Earth, making it appear bigger
and brighter to the human eye,
according to CNN. Typically, three to four supermoons take place in any given year.
The moon will appear full for around three days.
Tonight’s moon
is the first supermoon of 2021,
according to NASA. The next supermoon will occur on May 26th, and will in fact come
even closer to the Earth than April’s pink moon.
Despite its
name, the pink moon is not actually pink to the eye. Traditionally, the April
full moon coincides with the blossoming of pink flowers native to eastern North
America - giving this moon its unique name, according to the Maine Farmer's
Almanac. Every April full moon is a pink moon, but not always a supermoon.
The supermoon
comes at the intersection of a variety of religious holidays. As the last full
moon before Easter, Christians call this moon the “Paschal Moon.” Hindus celebrate Hanuman Jayanti, the
celebration of the birth of Lord Hanuman, on around this date and Buddhists,
especially in Sri Lanka, celebrate Bak Poya on this date, commemorating when
the Buddha visited Sri Lanka and settled a dispute between chiefs, according to
NASA.
On social
media, some netizens expressed disappointment that the supermoon was not
actually pink. Others have already posted pictures of the large bright moon.
One popular
astrology account on Twitter posted a message stating that, “This Pink Full
Moon on Monday, April 26th will be a great time to let go and let love flow.
It’ll be a good time to heal from past pains so you can move forward in the
future.”
NASA also
predicts that the annual Eta-Aquariid meteor shower will be active from April
19 through May 28. This shower is the aftermath of Earth passing through dust
released by Halley's Comet.
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