Look up at the sky tonight: It’s the biggest supermoon of 2020

Go outside tonight and look up: The biggest and brightest supermoon of the year will be glowing in the sky on Tuesday night.

Supermoons occur when the moon is within 90 percent of perigee, which is its closest approach to Earth in orbit. The moon will appear brighter and bigger in the night sky, and we hope no clouds will block our view. Our weather report for the Tampa Bay area, so far, calls for clear skies.

April’s full moon, also known as the pink moon, happens to be the closest of the year. The supermoon will be at its best between 10:35 p.m. and midnight on Tuesday, and even into the early morning hours of Wednesday, according to EarthSky.org.

It won’t be pink in color, though. The first full moon of spring gets its name from the pink wildflowers that bloom in early springtime. The phlox subulata are also known as “moss pink,” according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

While it won’t look pink, it may appear more golden as it rises above the horizon. The Farmers’ Almanac advises that you should find an open area and watch as the moon rises just above the horizon, at which point it will appear its biggest and take on a golden hue.

That hue is caused by our atmosphere, similar to how the sun can appear more red as it rises and sets, according to NASA.

The next supermoon will occur on May 7.

Keep an eye on the sky in mid-April for a grouping of Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and the moon in a beautiful, bright alignment. This won’t happen again for a couple of years, according to NASA. Before daybreak on the mornings of April 14-16, watch as the moon’s illuminated side points right at this compact lineup of planets, according to EarthSky.org.