April stargazing highlights: Night skies light up with Pink Moon, Lyrid meteor shower
Mark your calendars for April 13 and April 21-22 as two notable celestial events – the Pink Moon and the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower – are set to grace the night sky.
Visualization of the Moon's phases in 2025
NASA visualization shows the Moon's phases in 2025 (NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center)
Skywatchers across the U.S. are in for a treat this month as two notable celestial events – the Pink Moon and the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower – are set to grace the night sky.
Mark your calendars for April 13, when the first full Moon of astronomical spring, traditionally known as the Pink Moon, will reach its peak at 8:22 p.m. ET.
Despite its colorful nickname, don't expect a rosy hue. The Pink Moon gets its name from the pink phlox and other spring flowers that begin to bloom in April.
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A surfer rides a wave as the full Pink Moon sets over the Huntington Beach Pier Wednesday, April 24, 2024.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times / Getty Images)
This year's Pink Moon will be a micromoon, meaning it will appear slightly smaller than average. This occurs because the Moon will be near its farthest point from Earth, approximately 252,000 miles away, compared to its average distance of 238,000 miles.
The celestial excitement continues later in the month with the annual Lyrid meteor shower, peaking on the nights of April 21-22.
This shower is produced by space debris from comet C/1861 G1 Thatcherm. NASA says the comet was originally discovered by astronomer A.E. Thatcher in 1861 and has not completed an entire orbit around the Sun since then.
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The April Lyrids, a meteor shower lasting from April 16 to April 26 each year, is seen over the ancient city of Aizanoi in Kutahya, Turkey on April 23, 2014.
(Fatma Selma Kocabas Aydin / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images)
The comet is estimated to take about 415 years to complete a full orbit. Astronomers say the average meteor shower usually produces 10-20 meteors per hour, but sometimes, the event can produce as many as 100 meteors per hour.
Since the Moon is in its waning phase, lunar light pollution will be minimal, making it easier to see the meteors.
Click here to see your complete guide to all this year's celestial events, featuring more full Moons, additional meteor showers, eclipses and Supermoons.