There is magic in the sky each month when the full moon rises, marking the alignment of the sun, Earth and our planet's only natural satellite. It's an ancient indicator of time, and one that Native American tribes recognized as a signal of the changing seasons. They gave the moons names to mark the occasions, and while sky-gazers have variations on why moons garner certain monikers, most can agree on the ethereal appeal of the quiet lunar performance each month.
April's full moon is dubbed the pink moon because it corresponds with the first springtime blooms of the creeping phlox plant or moss phlox, which has a flower with a lavender to rose-colored hue.
It rises Tuesday, April 23, in West Palm Beach at 7:46 p.m. following a cool front that should sweep the skies of clouds, providing a clear stage for its debut over the horizon.
Best way to see April's full moon in Palm Beach County
This month's full moon rises just below the bright star Spica. While the full moon may block the light from Spica, EarthSky.org recommends standing so that a building or large tree can block much of the moon's brightness so that Spica can sparkle.
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The April full moon has many other names given to it by people celebrating the arrival of warmer weather after winter challenges. It is also known as the "breaking ice moon", the "budding moon", and the "growing moon," according to TimeandDate.com.
Here are explanations for the names of all full moons:
Wolf Moon, January
January is dark and cold, giving over its evenings to wolves who howl and hunt amid the deep snowpack of midwinter. It has other names, according to a compilation by Western Washington University, including the Maker Moon, Great Spirits Moon, and from the Arapaho tribe of the Great Plains, the moon when snow blows like spirits in the wind.
Snow Moon, February
February was a time when food stores may have been running low and hunting in the snow was difficult. For the Arapaho, February was the moon of frost sparkling in the sun. The Assiniboine in the Northern Plains called it the Long Dry Moon.
Worm Moon (or Crow Moon), March
This is a time when the land softens, the earthworms reappear and the robins return. Basically, it signals the end of winter. It was also called the Crow Moon by northern tribes, and the moon of buffalo dropping their calves by the Arapaho of the Great Plains.
Pink Moon, April
In April, the groundcover phlox would appear with pink flowers signaling spring. It was also called the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, and the Full Fish Moon, which was a nod by some coastal tribes to shad coming upstream to spawn. Sometimes this is the first full moon after the spring equinox, marking it as the Paschal Full Moon. The Paschal Full Moon, which sometimes occurs in March, determines what date Easter falls on.
Flower Moon, May
Flowers become more abundant in May, but May's moon is also called the Full Corn Planting Moon and the Milk Moon. In the Northern Plains, it was given the name the Idle Moon. The Cherokee of the East Coast called it the Planting Moon.
Strawberry Moon, June
June is the time to pick strawberries. It is also a time when the corn is not yet ripe, giving June the name the Green Corn Moon or the Full Leaf Moon. The Arapaho of the Great Plains dubbed this moon the moon when the buffalo bellows.
Buck Moon, July
In July, deer begin to grow their new antlers. The Apache of the Southern Plains called July the moon of the horse/time of ripeness.
Sturgeon Moon, August
Fishing is robust in August in many areas around the Great Lakes. The Anishnaabe of the Great Lakes also called this the Berry Moon, while their neighbors to the northeast, the Algonquin, said the August moon is when Indian corn is edible.
Harvest Moon, September
According to Space.com, the Harvest Moon traditionally is the moon closest to the fall equinox, which is usually Sept. 22 or 23. Fall vegetables including corn, pumpkins, squash, beans and wild rice are ready to harvest. The Arapaho of the Great Plains call September the Drying Grass Moon.
Hunter's Moon, October
With the harvest gathered, October is a time to hunt. It is also a time for a marked change in seasons with the Arapaho calling October the Falling Leaves Moon, and the Algonquin calling it the moon of white frost on grass.
Beaver Moon, November
There are different ideas on why November is the Beaver Moon, including that it is a time when beavers are active before winter and that it is a signal to set traps before waterways freeze. The Abenaki of Northeast Maine called November the Freezing River Maker Moon.
Cold Moon, December
The first day of astronomical winter is Dec. 21 or 22. It is when the top half of the Earth is tilted away from the sun, giving way to colder days and longer nights. The Cherokee also called it the Snow Moon. To the Comanche of the Southern Plains, it was the Evergreen Moon.
What's a Supermoon?
The term Supermoon has many meanings. For staunch astronomers, it is usually the closest moon of the year to Earth, but astrophysicist Fred Espenak gives the title to full moons that come within 90 percent of the closest approach to Earth.Depending on the source, there could be between one four six supermoons on average a year.
What about a Blue Moon?
Blue Moons, like Supermoons, have different definitions. Some steadfast blue mooners consider a moon blue only if it's the second full moon in a month.ButBlue Moons can also be defined as the third offourfull moons in a season — the time between a solstice and an equinox, according to EarthSky.org.
"How can both of them be Blue Moons? The answer stems from the nature of skylore, and folklore in general. It’s lore. And it’s of the 'folk.' So it sometimes gets messy," wrote EarthSky columnists Bruce McClure and Deborah Byrd.
Kimberly Miller is a veteran journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She coversreal estate and how growth affects South Florida's environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com.Help support our local journalism, subscribe today.
