Pink Supermoon: When & How To Watch Biggest And Brightest Full Moon Of 2020 This Week

The Super Pink Moon will rise on Tuesday, April 7 and it'll be visible after sunset. For the people living in India, the visibility of the moon can be seen at 8:05 IST in India.

(Representative Image/ Getty)

New Delhi: The time has come to get those binoculars out as the biggest, brightest supermoon of 2020 will be appearing in the night sky Tuesday, April 7. However, for the people living in India, the visibility of the moon can be seen at 8:05 IST in India. What is a supermoon?  A supermoon occurs when the moon is especially close to Earth while it’s full. The moon's closeness to Earth, naturally, makes it look extra-close and extra-bright – up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than a full moon at its farthest point from Earth. Richard Nolle, an astrologer coined the term “supermoon” in the year 1979. The lowest point in the Moon's orbit is known as the lunar perigee and the highest point is the apogee. If a Full Moon happens to peak within 90 percent of its perigee, it is known as a Supermoon. During a Supermoon event, a Full Moon can appear up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter. The opposite happens during lunar apogee - a smaller Micro moon appears. When can you see the Pink Supermoon? The Super Pink Moon will rise on Tuesday, April 7. It'll be visible after sunset, and 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 for the next couple of days. In the meantime, sky-watchers see Venus, the Pleiads star cluster, and a waxing crescent moon this weekend. Why is it called a 'Pink' Supermoon?  According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, April’s full moon often corresponded with the early springtime blooms of Phlox subulata, a pink wildflower native to eastern North America. The wildflower is commonly called creeping phlox or moss phlox – and also goes by the name “moss pink." For millennia, people across the world, including Native Americans, named the months after nature’s cues. The Old Farmers' Almanac said that full moon names in our part of the world date back to the Native Americans who lived in the northern and eastern USA. Each full moon has its name, from January's wolf moon to December's cold moon. Why does the Moon have different phases? As the lunar orb races around the planet, we always see the same side facing Earth. NASA said: "Our Moon doesn't shine, it reflects. Just like daytime here on Earth, sunlight illuminates the Moon. We just can't always see it. "When sunlight hits off the Moon's far side - the side we can't see without from Earth the aid of a spacecraft - it is called a New Moon". When sunlight reflects off the near side, we call it a Full Moon. The remaining phases of the Moon are the Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous, Third Quarter and Waning Crescent Moon. The cycle repeats every month, from New Moon to New Moon and lasts about 29.5 days. The Moon, however, takes about 27.3 days to complete a lap around Earth.