Full moons grace our skies around every 29.5 days, so you’d think we’d be used to them by now. But every month, when it becomes fully visible from Earth, the moon still manages to wow us with it’s brightness and brilliance.
Each full moon gets a different name. In March we got the spectacular blood moon (and a rare lunar eclipse) and now it’s almost time for the April edition – the pink moon. It’ll emerge in UK skies right this weekend as a ‘micromoon’ (more on that later) and coincide with views of a blue giant star. Exciting, eh?
Here’s everything you need to know if you want to catch sight of the UK’s next lunar spectacle.
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Why is it called ‘pink moon’?
Don’t be fooled – the pink moon isn’t really pink, though it may have an orange tint or a subtle rosy glow if there’s dust in the air.
It’s the fourth full moon of the year and in Native American culture is named after the pink wildflowers that bloom all over North America at this time of year. In other cultures, the April full moon is called the sprouting grass moon, the egg moon and the fish moon.
What is a ‘micromoon’?
This full moon is a micromoon, which happens just before the moon reached apogee (its farthest point from Earth). That means it’ll look slightly smaller and dimmer than other full moons. Basically the opposite of a supermoon.
What is the best time to see the pink moon?
It’ll rise at 9.08pm on Sunday, April 13 in the east-southeast of the sky and be at it’s most luminous when the night sky fully turns dark.
What is a ‘blue giant star’?
Blue giant stars are among the biggest, hottest and brightest stars in the galaxy. The blue giant that’ll be visible this weekend is Spica, which is the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo. Spica is 250 light years from Earth and has a mass 11.43 times greater than our Sun.
What is the best time to see the ‘giant blue star’?
To see Spica, you’ll want to be looking southeast from the UK at 10pm on Saturday April 12.
Tips to see the pink moon and giant blue star
As any seasoned stargazer will know, the darker and more clear an area is, the better. That means that to see the pink moon in its full glory, you’ll need to base yourself somewhere with minimal light pollution with an unobstructed horizon.
If you find somewhere suitable, it’ll be hard to miss. You can appreciate with the naked eye, or for closer look, a telescope or binoculars will do the trick.
ICYMI: This is how to see the northern lights in the UK.
Plus: These are the best places to go stargazing in the UK.
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