April’s full moon is known as the full pink moon because it is the time of the year that bright pink ground phlox, one of the earliest blooms of spring, covers the ground. In fact, the moon may take on an orangish hue when it rises on Saturday. (Patch File Photo),
The first full moon of spring, which rises Saturday evening, is known as the pink moon. It’s not pink, of course. It’s named after the pretty pink ground phlox that signals the arrival of spring. But it may not appear as the silvery gray orb, either.
,
Because moonrise and sunset are so closely timed on Saturday, the moon could be bathed in an orangish glow as it peeks over the eastern horizon at about around 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time/ Sunset is just a couple of minutes earlier.
The full moon occurs far enough in advance of the Lyrid meteor shower peak that it could allow for a decent show. It’ll be about 50 percent illuminated at the April 21-22 peak.
,
One of the oldest recorded meteor showers with observations dating back to 687 B.C., the Lyrids are known for luminous dust trains that last for several seconds, according to NASA. At the peak, the Lyrids offer about 18 shooting stars an hour.
The ancient Eta Aquariid meteor shower gets started around April 19 and runs concurrently with the Lyrids. This shower is the more prolific of the two, offering about 30 shooting stars an hour. These fast meteors also leave glowing trains that can last anywhere from several seconds to minutes, according to NASA. The shower peaks overnight May 4-5 and rambles on until month’s end.
,
April is also a good time for amateur astronomers to participate in Hubble’s Night Sky Challenge commemorating 35 years of Hubble discoveries. It’s a year-round program, and April offers some stellar opportunities to see some of the objects Hubble has photographed over the years, according to NASA.
Messier and Caldwell galaxies visible in the Northern Hemisphere in April are found on the NASA website. The Hubble Challenge also provides a guide for star parties, which could be a fun overnight adventure at a dark sky location.
