Full Pink Moon 2019: what is it and how did it get its name?

Full moons have traditionally been given their own names across the lunar calendar

A view of the full Moon over the sky of Rome, Italy. Getty 

Stargazers around the globe can look forward to seeing the full Pink Moon in all its glory in the early hours of Friday morning after it rises on the night of April 18.

But those who have watched the spectacle of a "blood Moon" or a "super Moon" may be a little disappointed to learn that the Pink Moon will not actually appear pink.

The Pink Moon is the name given to April's full Moon, and is a moniker derived from Native American tradition.

Tribes such as the Algonquian traditionally kept track of time by naming the Moon's phases after particular events.

The names vary among different tribes and include June's Strawberry Moon, named for the wild strawberry harvest, and May's Flower Moon.

The first full Moon of the year is sometimes known as the Wolf Moon, leading to January's super blood Moon being named the Super Blood Wolf Moon.

April's Pink Moon is named after Creeping phlox, a type of wildflower with small pink petals, which emerges at this time of year.