Michigan’s Brightest Super Moon Of 2020 Is Coming

April's Super Pink Moon will be the biggest and brightest full moon of the year.

The Super Pink Moon will rise on Tuesday, April 7th, becoming visible after sunset. It will reach peak illumination at 10:35 p.m., EDT, according to the Farmer’s Almanac. The moon will appear full to the naked eye on the 8th and 9th as well.

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the full moon is called the Pink Moon because it corresponds with the early spring bloom of phlox subulata, also known as moss pink, a wildflower native to eastern North America. The moon will not actually appear pink but instead take on a golden hue near the horizon then fade to bright white as it rises.

Supermoons are only about seven percent bigger and 15 percent brighter than the average full moon, so the difference may not be obvious, according to Smithsonian Magazine. The slight change in size happens because the moon follows an eccentric orbit around Earth that is not perfectly circular. On March 24, for example, Earth’s lunar companion reached its furthest apogee of the year, about 252,707 miles away. On April 7th, it will be about 30,000 miles closer, only 221,772 miles away from Earth.

The last closest supermoon in recent history occurred in November of 2016.