NOTTINGHAM, MD—The Super Pink Moon of 2021 arrives tonight – but it won’t look pink.

The first of only two supermoons this year will arrive late Monday night, April 26, 2021, at 11:32 p.m. EDT, according to NASA.

During a supermoon, the full moon can appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than when it is at its farthest from Earth, largely due to the face that it coincides with the moon’s arrival at perigee (the closest point to Earth in its orbit), according to Space.com.

During tonight’s full moon, our closest stellar neighbor will be around 222,064 miles away from Earth, about 8% closer than the distance of an average full moon (240,000 miles).

So why is it called a Pink Moon?  According to NASA, in the 1930s the Maine Farmer’s Almanac began publishing American Indian moon names for the months of the year. According to this almanac, as the full moon in April, this is the Pink Moon, named after the herb moss pink, also known as creeping phlox, moss phlox, or mountain phlox. The plant is native to the eastern United States and is one of the earliest widespread flowers of spring.

The next supermoon will occur on May 26, so don’t fret if you miss tonight’s lunar spectacle.

The #PinkMoon setting at Stonehenge

Photo: Nick Bull
Via @ST0NEHENGE pic.twitter.com/LZT0wJ7XYt

— Wongthanong (@wongthanong) April 26, 2021