Photo essay

Rare pink supermoon lights up the night skies

The full moon, named in accordance with Native American tradition for a pink spring flower, is one of just two supermoons in 2021

  • The Super Pink Moon rises over Jerusalem on April 27, 2021.(Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
    The Super Pink Moon rises over Jerusalem on April 27, 2021.(Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
  • The moon rises over a replica of Statue of Liberty in Kosovo capital Pristina on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. This moon is a supermoon, meaning it appears larger than an average full moon because it is nearer the closest point of its orbit to Earth. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
    The moon rises over a replica of Statue of Liberty in Kosovo capital Pristina on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. This moon is a supermoon, meaning it appears larger than an average full moon because it is nearer the closest point of its orbit to Earth. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
  • A woman sits at a park as the moon rises, Monday, April 26, 2021, in New Albany, Ind.  (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
    A woman sits at a park as the moon rises, Monday, April 26, 2021, in New Albany, Ind. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
  • The moon rises next the columns of the ancient marble Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, about 70 Km (45 miles) south of Athens, on Tuesday, April 27, 2021.  (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
    The moon rises next the columns of the ancient marble Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, about 70 Km (45 miles) south of Athens, on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
  • The moon rises over the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia, Tuesday, April 27, 2021. This moon is a supermoon, meaning it appears larger than an average full moon because it is nearer the closest point of its orbit to Earth (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
    The moon rises over the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia, Tuesday, April 27, 2021. This moon is a supermoon, meaning it appears larger than an average full moon because it is nearer the closest point of its orbit to Earth (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
  • April's full moon, known as the Super Pink Moon, rises over the Damascus Gate as an Israeli police stands guard in Jerusalem's Old City on April 27, 2021. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
    April's full moon, known as the Super Pink Moon, rises over the Damascus Gate as an Israeli police stands guard in Jerusalem's Old City on April 27, 2021. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
  • The full moon of April, called the Super Pink Moon, rises over the skyline of Manhattan on April 26, 2021. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP)
    The full moon of April, called the Super Pink Moon, rises over the skyline of Manhattan on April 26, 2021. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP)

A rare pink supermoon lit up skies across the globe on Monday and Tuesday night.

The April full moon is named, in accordance with Native American traditions, after the herb moss pink, also known as creeping phlox, one of the earliest flowers of spring in the eastern United States.

For Eastern Orthodox Christians, the April full moon is also known as the Paschal Moon.

This year, the pink moon is also a supermoon, which occurs when the moon is within 90 percent of perigee, its closest approach to Earth.

The full moon of April, called the Super Pink Moon, rises over the skyline of Manhattan on April 26, 2021. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP)

It’s the first of only two supermoons in 2021, with the next one, which will be a fraction closer, occurring on May 26.

April’s full moon, known as the Super Pink Moon, rises over the Damascus Gate as an Israeli police stands guard in Jerusalem’s Old City on April 27, 2021. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
The moon rises over the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia, Tuesday, April 27, 2021. This moon is a supermoon, meaning it appears larger than an average full moon because it is nearer the closest point of its orbit to Earth (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
The moon rises next the columns of the ancient marble Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, about 70 Km (45 miles) south of Athens, on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A woman sits at a park as the moon rises, Monday, April 26, 2021, in New Albany, Ind. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
The moon rises over a replica of Statue of Liberty in Kosovo capital Pristina on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. This moon is a supermoon, meaning it appears larger than an average full moon because it is nearer the closest point of its orbit to Earth. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

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