Here's when you can see the Pink Super Moon this week 🌙
But there's a bit of a snag...
2021 has certainly been a good year so far for astronomy lovers! Not only did we witness the Wolf Moon in January, the Snow Moon in February and a Super Worm Moon in March, but we'll now be treated to a Pink Super Moon this week!
Like with most of the other moons, the name bestowed on the type of moon doesn't actually have any bearing on its appearance - just like the Super Worm Moon didn't actually resemble a giant insect, the Pink Super Moon will not be pink, either.
What is the Pink Super Moon?
The April Super Moon is so-called 'pink' as the month falls in the season of Spring, during which time phlox flowers normally appear. As it's a Super Moon, it will apparently look 14% bigger and 30% brighter.
Anna Ross, an astronomer from the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, told Sky News: "A supermoon is the result of a full moon occurring when the moon is near its closest point to the Earth in its orbit.
"This can happen because the moon orbits the Earth on an elliptical path, rather than a circular one. As this means that the moon is a little closer to us, it appears slightly bigger in the sky."
When can I see the Pink Super Moon?
Anna added: "The average distance of the moon from the Earth is 384,400km, but the moon will reach its closest point this lunar month on 27th April (this Tuesday) at 4.24pm, when it will be 357,379 km away.
"The exact moment of the full moon closest to this point - so the supermoon - is also on 27th April, but at 4.31am.
"This means that the best times to view this supermoon will be anytime during the night of 27th April - when the moon will rise in the east just before sunset and set in the west around sunrise."
Top tips for stargazers:
1. Dark sky
You might not realise how much light pollution there is in your neighbourhood, find out more about light pollution and where you can find a really dark sky here.
Allow your eyes 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness. Don't forget that the moon can also interfere so try to avoid times when it is visible.
2. Date and time
To increase your chances of seeing some meteors make sure you find out the best time to look for them. Often it is when the sky is at its darkest (in the middle of the night), or if there is a meteor shower, when the radiant (where the meteors come from - the constellation Leo) is high in the sky.
3. Look in the right area
It sounds obvious, but the sky is a very large area and meteors are very fast! Make sure you know which area of the sky you should be looking in. The Leonids come from Leo, the easiest way to find it would be to use a free sky map app on your phone. We've also included a video at the bottom of this page to help you find it.
4. Good weather
Again, it seems obvious, but there's no point in standing in the cold when it's cloudy. Check the weather forecast before going outside, and if it's going to be clear later on then wait until then if you can.
5. Don't use a telescope or binoculars
Using a telescope or binoculars will DECREASE your chances of seeing a meteor. Meteors are so quick that you are likely to miss them if you don't use the naked eye. Save your telescope or binoculars for the moon or planets.
When is the next full moon?
There's a Full Moon every month of the year. Check out all of the dates and names of the 2021 Full Moons below:
28th January: Wolf Moon
27th February: Snow Moon
28th March: Worm Moon
27th April: Pink Moon
26th May: Flower Moon
24th June: Strawberry Moon
24th July: Buck Moon
22nd August: Sturgeon Moon
21st September: Corn/Harvest Moon
20th October: Hunter's Moon
19th November: Beaver Moon
19th December: Cold Moon
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