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See the Full “Pink” Moon

Posted at 6:37 AM, Apr 05, 2012
and last updated 2012-04-05 07:43:22-04

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – Each Full Moon has a nickname, depending on the month or time of year. In April, there are a number of common nicknames for this month’s Full Moon. The most “popular” (according to the Farmers’ Almanac) is the Full Pink Moon, in reference to the flowering phlox or herb moss pink in Spring. Other nicknames for this Full Moon include the Egg (this Full Moon is often near Easter in the Christian tradition, with the egg celebrating the end of Lent), Fish (because of shad swimming upstream to spawn), and the Sprouting Grass (for obvious Spring reasons in North America).

The Full Moon occurs Friday, April 6 at 3:20 PM EDT in Richmond (but the Moon will not be visible at that moment).

You can, however, see the “almost” Full Moon tonight and tomorrow. The Moon rises Thursday at 6:39 p.m. and sets Friday at 6:19 a.m., then rises again at 7:53 p.m. Friday.

This Full Moon is also a “perigean spring tide,” which occurs when the Moon is closest to Earth at the same time it is Full. Here’s a NOAA map:

IMAGE CREDIT: NOAA

NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) says, “The difference between ‘perigean spring tide’ and normal tidal ranges for all areas of the coast is small. In most cases, the difference is only a couple of inches above normal spring tides.” Learn more about this special kind of tide by clicking here.

Meteorologist Carrie Rose
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