April’s full pink moon coincided with a historic moon mission launch | CNN

Sky watchers caught the spring season’s first full moon rising in the night sky. April’s full pink moon peaked at 10:11 p.m. ET Wednesday, according to Time and Date. Despite the moniker, the silvery orb appeared in its usual brilliant gray hue. The lunar event’s rosy name instead pays tribute to the early spring bloom of Phlox subulata. A wildflower species native to eastern North America, it’s often called “moss pink,” which typically flowers around April’s full moon, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. The moon may still have appeared full Tuesday and Thursday, said Noah Petro, chief of NASA’s planetary geology, geophysics and geochemistry laboratory at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Full moons are visible to those in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, as they are considered to be in the full moon phase up to 12 hours before and after their peak, according to EarthSky. For the best view, Petro suggested finding clear skies and an unobstructed spot away from trees or buildings. The darker the environment, the more you can enjoy the event, he added. Across Indigenous communities, April’s full moon has a range of names including “ka