Super Pink Moon 2020: How, when, where to watch in India

The moon will be closest to Earth at a distance of 356,907 kilometres on Tuesday, April 7, at 11:38 pm (IST) or (18:08 GMT). Around 8 hours and 35 minutes later, it will turn into a big perigee-syzygy moon, which is the astronomical term for a supermoon.

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Why this 'Super Pink Moon' will be the biggest and best of the year:

• It will look big: Since the moon will be around 356,907 kilometres away from the earth, your brain will see it in the context of the horizon and compare it with its surroundings.
• It will look beautiful: When the moon rises, its glare would be dulled because of the Earth's atmosphere. This will create a faint orange, and then pale yellow hues around it for a few minutes.

What is a Supermoon?

As per NASA's definition, a supermoon takes place when a full moon is at its closest to the planet. The moon revolves around the earth in an elliptical orbit and has a farthest and closest point from the earth as it moves.

The farthest point in moon's elliptical orbit is called the apogee and is approximately 405,500 kilometres from the planet. At its closest point, the perigee is nearly 363,300 kilometres far from the earth.

When to see 'Super Pink Moon'

The time to see the 'Super Pink Moon' at its best is between the moonrise on Tuesday, April 7, 2020, and moonset the following morning on Wednesday, April 8 2020.

Once the moon has risen above the horizon, it will be bright white. So seeing the full moon when it peaks at 100 per cent illumination would be missing the point.

As per the Native American culture, the full moon of April is generally called the Pink Moon, therefore the upcoming Perigean Full Moon is being called the Super Pink Moon. The name Pink Moon comes from the pink flowers that bloom in spring.

Super Pink Moon: Date, timings

The moon on April 7 will be the brightest and bigger. This would be the best time to view the moon. The timings to watch Pink Moon vary by time zone. In India, one could watch Super Pink Moon at 8:05 am on April 8.

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