A RARE “Pink Moon” will rise over the UK tonight as our rocky neighbor makes a close pass over Earth.
Some ancient peoples thought the cosmic event was linked to the appearance of beautiful flowers, while others claim it signifies the end of the world as we know it.
What is a Pink Moon?
A Pink Moon is the rare result of several space phenomena occurring at once.
The name is slightly deceiving because rather than pink, the Moon will actually appear a slightly pale orange.
A Pink Moon is a type of Super Moon, which occurs when a new or full Moon is unusually close to Earth.
According to Nasa , April’s Pink Moon will be the “most super” of the full Super Moons this year.
Pink Moons tend to appear in the night sky with an orange hue. The ‘pink’ in its name comes from flowers in the United States that blossom in Spring (Credit: Alamy
Pink Moon effects on Earth
Some scientists believe the Pink Moon can cause small increases in tectonic activity.
That’s because of the effects of the gravitational pull of Earth’s rocky satellite.
A Super Moon may also bring the largest tides of the year.
That’s because a closer Moon exerts a stronger gravitational pull and creates more variation between the tides.
However, the effects of the Supermoon on Earth are minor.
Many studies have concluded that there is nothing significant that can link the Super Moon to natural disasters.
(3) The Moon turns a pink / orange hue when it is low in the sky because bluer wavelengths are filtered out by Earth’s atmosphere Credit: Getty – Contributor
What causes a Pink Moon?
A Pink Moon occurs when Earth’s rocky neighbor makes a close approach to our planet.
Because the Moon’s orbit is off-center, its distance to the Earth is greater at one end than the other.
A Super Moon refers to either a new or full Moon that occurs within 224 per cent of “perigee”, its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit.
Not every Super Moon is a Pink Moon.
“When the moon is near the horizon, it can look unnaturally large when viewed through trees, buildings, or other foreground objects,” say NASA.
“The effect is an optical illusion, but that fact doesn’t take away from the experience.”
Super Moons are a rare and stunning lunar event that only takes place a handful of times a year .
The sky is filled by a bright and giant Moon, which is a real treat for stargazers.
- A Super Moon is a combination of two different astronomical effects.
It’s when a new or full Moon coincides with a perigee – the Moon’s closest point to Earth in its monthly orbit.
A Moon has to come within 224 per cent of its closest approach to Earth to be formally defined as a Super Moon.
That means the Moon needs to come within , miles of Earth and be a full Moon to boot.
The Moon sometimes turns an orange hue when it is low in the sky because bluer wavelengths are filtered out by Earth’s atmosphere.
When a large full moon is seen low in the sky it is being viewed through a greater thickness of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Earth’s oxygen and nitrogen-rich atmosphere filter out the bluer wavelengths of moonlight when the Moon is close to the horizon as it rises.
This filtering process, known as light refraction, results in more of the red component of moonlight traveling directly into your eye.
Therefore the Moon will appear red or orange to you.
The Moon can only really appear to have turned pink during a total lunar eclipses.
This is often referred to as a a Blood Moon.
When are all of the Full Moons this year?
Wolf Moon – January
Snow Moon – February 9
Worm Moon – March 9
Pink Moon – April 8
Flower Moon – May 7
Strawberry Moon – June 6
Buck Moon – July 5
Sturgeon Moon – August 3
Full Corn Moon – September 2
Hunter’s Moon – October 1
Beaver Moon – November
Cold Moon – December
THINK PINK Rare ‘Super Pink Moon’ will fill skies tonight– how to spot it
()
(BEAR WITH US (Huge) kg kg bears could be brought back to british forests (
LUNAR LANDING Nasa reveals plan for colonization of the Moon – including four-person houses
(SPACE ROCKS) Huge 2-mile asteroid will be visible from Earth this month
In other space news, Nasa has revealed some of its plans for colonizing the Moon
.
If you’ve ever wanted to see a shooting star you stand a good chance this month.
And, the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed new data about what may be the most powerful cosmic storm in the universe .
Would you like to live on the Moon one day? Let us know in the comments …
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at [email protected]
The sky is filled by a bright and giant Moon, which is a real treat for stargazers.
It’s when a new or full Moon coincides with a perigee – the Moon’s closest point to Earth in its monthly orbit.
A Moon has to come within 224 per cent of its closest approach to Earth to be formally defined as a Super Moon.
That means the Moon needs to come within , miles of Earth and be a full Moon to boot.
The Moon sometimes turns an orange hue when it is low in the sky because bluer wavelengths are filtered out by Earth’s atmosphere.
When a large full moon is seen low in the sky it is being viewed through a greater thickness of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Earth’s oxygen and nitrogen-rich atmosphere filter out the bluer wavelengths of moonlight when the Moon is close to the horizon as it rises.
This filtering process, known as light refraction, results in more of the red component of moonlight traveling directly into your eye.
Therefore the Moon will appear red or orange to you.
The Moon can only really appear to have turned pink during a total lunar eclipses.
This is often referred to as a a Blood Moon.
When are all of the Full Moons this year?
Wolf Moon – January
Snow Moon – February 9
Worm Moon – March 9
Pink Moon – April 8
Flower Moon – May 7
Strawberry Moon – June 6
Buck Moon – July 5
Sturgeon Moon – August 3
Full Corn Moon – September 2
Hunter’s Moon – October 1
Beaver Moon – November
Cold Moon – December
THINK PINK Rare ‘Super Pink Moon’ will fill skies tonight– how to spot it
()
(BEAR WITH US (Huge) kg kg bears could be brought back to british forests (
LUNAR LANDING Nasa reveals plan for colonization of the Moon – including four-person houses
(SPACE ROCKS) Huge 2-mile asteroid will be visible from Earth this month
In other space news, Nasa has revealed some of its plans for colonizing the Moon
.
If you’ve ever wanted to see a shooting star you stand a good chance this month.
And, the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed new data about what may be the most powerful cosmic storm in the universe .
Would you like to live on the Moon one day? Let us know in the comments …
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at [email protected]
A Moon has to come within 224 per cent of its closest approach to Earth to be formally defined as a Super Moon.
That means the Moon needs to come within , miles of Earth and be a full Moon to boot.
The Moon sometimes turns an orange hue when it is low in the sky because bluer wavelengths are filtered out by Earth’s atmosphere.
When a large full moon is seen low in the sky it is being viewed through a greater thickness of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Earth’s oxygen and nitrogen-rich atmosphere filter out the bluer wavelengths of moonlight when the Moon is close to the horizon as it rises.
This filtering process, known as light refraction, results in more of the red component of moonlight traveling directly into your eye.
Therefore the Moon will appear red or orange to you.
The Moon can only really appear to have turned pink during a total lunar eclipses.
This is often referred to as a a Blood Moon.
When are all of the Full Moons this year?
Wolf Moon – January
Snow Moon – February 9
Worm Moon – March 9
Pink Moon – April 8
Flower Moon – May 7
Strawberry Moon – June 6
Buck Moon – July 5
Sturgeon Moon – August 3
Full Corn Moon – September 2
Hunter’s Moon – October 1
Beaver Moon – November
Cold Moon – December
THINK PINK Rare ‘Super Pink Moon’ will fill skies tonight– how to spot it
()
(BEAR WITH US (Huge) kg kg bears could be brought back to british forests (
LUNAR LANDING Nasa reveals plan for colonization of the Moon – including four-person houses
(SPACE ROCKS) Huge 2-mile asteroid will be visible from Earth this month
In other space news, Nasa has revealed some of its plans for colonizing the Moon
.
If you’ve ever wanted to see a shooting star you stand a good chance this month.
And, the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed new data about what may be the most powerful cosmic storm in the universe .
Would you like to live on the Moon one day? Let us know in the comments …
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at [email protected]
- That means the Moon needs to come within , miles of Earth and be a full Moon to boot.
The Moon sometimes turns an orange hue when it is low in the sky because bluer wavelengths are filtered out by Earth’s atmosphere.
When a large full moon is seen low in the sky it is being viewed through a greater thickness of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Earth’s oxygen and nitrogen-rich atmosphere filter out the bluer wavelengths of moonlight when the Moon is close to the horizon as it rises.
This filtering process, known as light refraction, results in more of the red component of moonlight traveling directly into your eye.
Therefore the Moon will appear red or orange to you.
The Moon can only really appear to have turned pink during a total lunar eclipses.
This is often referred to as a a Blood Moon.
When are all of the Full Moons this year?
Wolf Moon – January
Snow Moon – February 9
Worm Moon – March 9
Pink Moon – April 8
Flower Moon – May 7
Strawberry Moon – June 6
Buck Moon – July 5
Sturgeon Moon – August 3
Full Corn Moon – September 2
Hunter’s Moon – October 1
Beaver Moon – November
Cold Moon – December
THINK PINK Rare ‘Super Pink Moon’ will fill skies tonight– how to spot it
(BEAR WITH US (Huge) kg kg bears could be brought back to british forests (
(SPACE ROCKS) Huge 2-mile asteroid will be visible from Earth this month
In other space news, Nasa has revealed some of its plans for colonizing the Moon
.
If you’ve ever wanted to see a shooting star you stand a good chance this month.
And, the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed new data about what may be the most powerful cosmic storm in the universe .
Would you like to live on the Moon one day? Let us know in the comments …
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at [email protected]
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