THE SUPERMOON

April’s full moon, also known as the pink moon will be at perigee, the closest point to Earth during its elliptical orbit. The moon will appear larger during this phase, and if you choose to gaze or photograph at moonrise, or moonset, the moon will appear even larger due to it’s proximity to the horizon, this is due to an optical illusion.

The moonrise and moonset should appear red-tinted or orange-tinted at low altitudes. This is caused by light being absorbed and scattered in the Earth’s densest atmospheric layer known as the troposphere (where we live). The scattering and absorption of shorter wavelengths of light (purple, blue, green) cause our retinas to only see the longer wavelengths of light (Yellow, Orange, Red), hence the moons tinted appearance.