The 2019 'pink moon' arrives Thursday night

Full moon will be on display until April 22

Full moon.
Tomruen /Creative Commons

Clear skies in Philadelphia on Thursday night will make for perfect viewing of the 2019 "pink moon," a bright display that will stick around over the coming nights and mornings.

The April full moon, dubbed the "pink moon" by the Old Farmers Almanac, also goes by several other names dating back to Native American peoples — sprouting grass moon, egg moon and fish moon. It refers to the full moon rising over pink fields of ground phlox flowers, one of the first spring flowers.


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That means the moon won't actually be pink. It will appear yellow, orange or red depending on atmospheric conditions when it rises.

The full moon will reach its peak at 7:12 a.m. on Friday, so the best time to view it will be Thursday night. It will remain more than 90 percent full until April 22.

Look for the moon to rise in the eastern sky just before sunset on Thursday and again Friday night just after sunset.