Full 'Pink Moon' Shines Monday Night

CHICAGO (CBS Chicago/CBS News) -- "Pink moon. You saw me standing alone. Without a dream in my heart...."

Well, that may not be how the old standard goes, but we do, in fact, have what is known as a pink moon over Chicago, and everywhere else, Monday night.

Supermoons are full moons that appear larger and brighter in the sky because they are in perigree, a bit closer to the earth than usual.

"Different publications use slightly different thresholds for deciding which full moons qualify as supermoons, but for 2021 all agree the two full moons in April and May are supermoons," NASA's Gordon Johnston said in a statement.

The moon reached its fullest visible point at 10:32 p.m.

While the phenomenon seen Monday night is called a pink moon, it is not actually pink.

"Before you get your hopes up, this 'Super Pink Moon' won't actually look 'super pink'—or any hue of pink, really," the Farmer's Almanac states. "The Moon will be its usual golden color near the horizon and fade to a bright white as it glides overhead."

According to the Farmer's Almanac, April's full moon is called a Pink Moon after the herb "moss pink," Phlox subulata. Native to the Eastern U.S., the plant is one of the earliest and most widespread spring flowers.

A full "pink" supermoon will illuminate the night sky tonight.