New celestial event: Next full moon will be 'Pink Moon' this April 2024

Get ready for another epic celestial event, astro-geeks, as the full moon of April 2024 is going to be a pink moon, USA Today reported.

Following the rare total solar eclipse that graced North America in early April, the moon is going to make another notable appearance in the sky in the next few days.

However, not to break your heart, the moon will not actually be pink in colour. Instead, the moon will be its usual golden colour that fades into a bright white.

The full moon in April is referred to as the pink moon. The name pink comes from the herb moss creeping hoax, which is a plant native to the eastern USA.

Why is it called the pink moon?

For centuries, people have been giving names to full moons.

As per the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), the Maine Farmers' Almanack, which began publishing in 1818, first started using Native American names for full moons in the 1930s. Since then, these names have become widely popular and used.

Nasa said other names for this moon include the sprouting grass moon, the egg moon, and the fish moon, because this was when the shad swam upstream to spawn.

When will pink moon be visible?

April's full moon will happen on Tuesday evening (April 23) at 7:49p EDT and will last from Monday morning to Thursday morning, USA Today reported.