Pink Moon set to grace skies on April 23

The next full Moon will be on Tuesday evening, April 23, 2024. April's full moon is also known as the Pink Moon, Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, Fish Moon, Passover Moon, the Hanuman Jayanti Festival Moon, and Bak Poya.

The Moon will appear full for about 3 days around 7:49 PM EDT, from Monday morning to Thursday morning. This full Moon holds a special significance across various cultures. For Hindus, this full Moon corresponds with Hanuman Jayanti, a festival celebrating the birth of Lord Hanuman. For Buddhists, particularly in Sri Lanka, this full Moon is Bak Poya, commemorating when the Buddha visited Sri Lanka and settled a dispute between chiefs, avoiding a war.

On the morning of April 23, as twilight begins, the bright star Spica will be located just 2.5 degrees to the lower left of the setting full Moon. Additionally, visible planets like Mars will be visible 5 degrees above the eastern horizon while Saturn will appear 7 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon.

On the evening of April 23, as twilight ends, the rising Moon will be 10 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon, with Jupiter lying 4 degrees above the west-northwestern horizon. Regulus, the 21st brightest star in our night sky and the brightest star in the constellation Leo the lion, will be 63 degrees above the southern horizon.

On May 5, the Aquariids (031 ETA) meteor shower, originating from debris left by Halley's Comet, is expected to peak. For those in the tropics or the southern hemisphere, up to 50 meteors per hour may be visible under optimal conditions, NASA said.

To watch these celestial events, especially the meteor shower, find a dark location and allow ample time for your eyes to adjust to the low light conditions to maximize the visibility of meteors and planetary alignments.