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This April 11, the Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 06:08 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Pink Moon because it marked the appearance of the moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the first spring flowers. This moon has also been known as the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Growing Moon, and the Egg Moon. Many coastal tribes called it the Full Fish Moon because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.
At full moon, the Moon and Sun are on a line, with Earth in between. It’s as though Earth is the fulcrum of a seesaw, and the Moon and Sun are sitting on either end of the seesaw.
In many ways, a full moon is the opposite of a “new moon.” At both the new and full phases, the moon is on a line with the Earth and Sun. At new moon, the Moon is in the middle position along the line. At full moon, Earth is in the middle.
Full moon always comes about two weeks after new moon, when the Moon is midway around in its orbit of Earth, as measured from one new moon to the next.
A full moon looks full because it’s opposite Earth from the Sun, showing us its fully lighted hemisphere or day side.
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