Mini Pink Moon to Rise Thursday Night

We heard there would be a Pink Moon this week -- so naturally we turned to NBC 5 Chief Meteorologist David Finfrock for more information.

Finfrock said it's nothing to get too excited about and that the moon that will rise Thursday is not terribly unlike any other moon, just that it's the first full moon in the month of April.

The name Pink Moon, "is only a name applied by the Algonquin Indians for the full moon in April. No reason to expect the moon to look pink this week," Finfrock said.

Bummer. Well, we also heard this moon will be the opposite of a Super Moon -- a Mini Moon?

"This one will be slightly smaller, because the moon is a little farther away from Earth," Finfrock said.

Slightly smaller indeed. This year the Pink Moon coincides with the lunar apogee, when the moon is at its furthest point from Earth in its orbit. It'll appear a little smaller than normal -- but noticeably smaller than the next Super Moon which will be 30,000 miles closer on Nov. 14, according to EarthSky.org.

Still curious, we did a little digging and learned the Pink Moon, the first full moon of spring, goes by other names as well: the Egg Moon, the Sprouting Grass Moon and the Fish Moon, according FullMoonPhases.com.

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