See April’s pink full moon on Wednesday night

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news of amazing discoveries, scientific advances, and more.

CNN
–

April The full moon wouldn’t shine pink tonight, despite its name, but the brilliant golden orb could still shine.

Moon watchers can begin to see the lunar event starting Wednesday evening and peaking early Thursday morning at 12:34 a.m. ET.

“April’s full moon looks at first glance like other full moons,” Dr. Noah Petro, chief of NASA’s Geology, Geophysics and Geochemistry Laboratory, said in an email. However, each one “offers a special opportunity to see a beautiful moon and to start looking at the moon as it goes through its phases.”

“I encourage people to remove the dust from their binoculars or telescopes to look closely at the moon, to try to see the different colors (light and dark areas), and to realize that these differences reflect the different compositions of the rocks.”

Full moons can be seen for those in the northern and southern hemispheres, as they are considered to be in the full moon phase up to 12 hours before and after the zenith, According to EarthSky. A full moon wouldn’t look all that different to the human eye the day before or after the top.

For the perfect view of the pink moon, Pietro recommends finding a spot with minimal light pollution with a clear view of the sky. Spectators can also keep an eye out for Venus and Mars, as they will be out and fairly close to the Moon in the night sky.

“When people look at the Moon, I want them to think not only of it being a close neighbor in space, but of the Moon being like Earth’s eighth continent,” Pietro said via email.

He added, referring to the NASA Artemis lunar program, “We are preparing to send astronauts to the moon as well as many robotic missions to its surface. The next several years will be very exciting for lunar science!”

The pink moon is a nod to the abundant blooming flowers and trees that spring weather brings. In particular, the pink moon gets its name from a pink wildflower, Phlox subulata, which grows in a thick mat of vibrant foliage, is commonly referred to as creeping phlox, moss, or pink moss. The wildflower is native to eastern North America and often attracts butterflies heralding the arrival of spring. According to the farmers calendar.

Other names for this moon include the emerging moon, flower moon and large leaf moon, among others that came from Native American tribes in a nod to the season’s foliage bloom, according to a guide compiled in Western Washington University.

The full moon is in April this year It is also the first full moon of spring, known as the Easter full moon. This lunar event is of particular importance to those who celebrate Easter, as the date of the religious observance falls on the Sunday after the appearance of the Easter moon in the night sky.

There are nine more moons this year to watch out for, two of which in August are supermoons, which means they will appear larger in the sky due to their proximity to Earth.

Here is a list of the remaining full moons in the year 2023, According to the Farmers Almanac:

• May 5: Flower Moon

• June 3: Strawberry Moon

• July 3: Pak Moon

• August 1: Sturgeon Moon

• August 30: Blue Moon

• September 29: Harvest Moon

• October 28: Hunter’s Moon

• November 27: Beaver Moon

• December 26: Cold Moon

There will be a total of four detectable eclipses in 2023. With two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses.

A single total solar eclipse will be visible on April 20 to those in Australia, Southeast Asia, and Antarctica. Within a short period of time, the moon will move between the sun and the earth, making the sun look like a fiery circle in the sky. The event will require appropriate eclipse glasses to view it safely.

Soon after, A.J lunar eclipse lunar eclipse It will happen on May 5, and will be visible to those in Africa, Asia, and Australia. During this eclipse, the Moon enters the Earth’s shadow, causing the lunar surface to darken.

that Annular solar eclipse It takes place on October 14 – look if you live in North, Central or South America. This event will occur when the Moon is at or near its furthest point from Earth, making the Moon appear smaller than the Sun and creating a glowing ring more visible when passing between the Sun and Earth.

On October 28, A.J Partial eclipse of the moon It will be visible to people in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, parts of North America, and most of South America. Only a portion of the Moon will pass into the shadow, as the Earth and Moon will not fully align.

Finally, after ending the meteor drought, the Lyrids will rain at the end of this month and bring the first big shower since the Quadrantids appeared in January. The Lyrids will soon follow the Celestial event in May of Aquariids.

Here is the rest Meteor showers in 2023 and peak dates:

• Lyrids: April 22-23

• ETA Aquarius: May 5-6

• South Delta basins: 30-31 July

• Alpha Capricornids: July 30-31

• Perseids: August 12-13

• Orionids: October 20-21

• South Torres: November 4-5

• North Torres: November 11-12

• Leonids: November 17-18

• Geminids: December 13-14

• Ursids: December 21-22