With the year just about a third of the way over, tonight the Colorado skies will be illuminated by the biggest and brightest moon of the year.

The pink supermoon will be totally full around 10:30 pm and will be prominent in our skies from sunset to sunrise. Despite its name, the pink supermoon will not be pink but carries the moniker because of a pink wildflower that is associated with the month of April.

So, what makes a supermoon different from a non-supermoon? The term was coined by astronomer Richard Nolle in 1979 and is used to describe a full moon visible in the sky when the moon is at its closest to the Earth in its orbit.

Of course, the moon never changes size, but tonight's pink supermoon will be up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than the smallest possible full moon.

The news of the pink supermoon appearing in our skies tonight is especially appropriate as while Coloradans are social distancing themselves because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19,) a trend has been catching on where people go outside at 8 pm each night to howl at the moon.

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