Supermoon 2020: Pink moon draws people out of their homes

Biggest and brightest moon of the year so far was in full view on Tuesday night

Liam James
Wednesday 08 April 2020 05:44 EDT
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People across the UK were drawn to their windows and gardens on Tuesday evening as a pink supermoon rose over the night sky.

Many grabbed their cameras and smartphones to try to record the lunar light show, which saw the biggest and brightest moon of the year so far.

Twitter users posted their attempts to capture the view and to share their delight at the “amazing” and “beautiful” phenomenon.

Despite its name, there is not any noticeable colour difference to the full moon, which was set to reach its peak at 3:55am on Wednesday.

The pink supermoon name is a northern Native American reference to an early-blooming wildflower, which is first seen in the US and Canada at the beginning of spring.

In some other cultures, the pink moon is known as the sprouting grass moon, the egg moon, and the fish moon.

One Twitter user wrote: “If anyone needs a moment of calm, take a look at the moon right now.”

The moon appeared up to 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than usual in the sky as it reached its closest point to Earth, known as its perigee.

April's supermoon is the third of the year, and largest so far, following the worm moon on 9 March.

The next full moon is referred to as the Flower Moon, which takes place on 7 May.

Additional reporting by Press Association

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