A pink moon will appear over SC soon. Here’s when and what that means
April’s full moon has quite the interesting name, being called the pink moon or also the paschal full moon.
This month’s full moon phase is set to rise in the sky on Wednesday evening, reaching its peak illumination at 12:34 a.m. early Thursday morning for South Carolina viewers, according to timeanddate.com.
As it rises above the horizon, this moon will appear its biggest and take on a golden hue, detailed The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Although the name unfortunately doesn’t mean that this month’s full moon will turn pink, it does have some relation to the beginning of spring.
In fact, April’s full moon has frequently coincided with the early springtime blooms of a certain wildflower native to eastern North America: Phlox subulata. This flower went by the name “moss pink,” The Old Farmer’s Almanac states.
Thus, the nickname, pink moon, for April’s full moon was created.
Also called creeping phlox or moss phlox, this plant is one of many different types of phlox. It is native to dry, rocky areas in the southeastern mountains. It is a tough plant and forms an excellent, low, dense ground cover especially well suited for growing on slopes, according to Clemson University’s Home & Garden Information Center.
Another phlox species, called hairy phlox, can be found growing wild in the Piedmont and Midstate regions of South Carolina as well as into parts of the Sandhills.
April’s pink moon will be the first full moon of spring this year.
Next month, astronomy fans can keep a watchful eye out for the flower moon.
On Wednesday evening, there will be more than just the pink moon to see in the night sky.
Three of the five visible planets will be seen in the sky on Wednesday. Venus will be the brightest as the evening star, with Mercury being the second brightest and Mars as the third brightest also being visible, according to NASA.
