Rare pink supermoon is resurfacing – here’s a time to look out for it | UK news

A rare pink supermoon lit the morning sky this morning, and the sightings are likely to be even bigger and brighter tonight.

In April, the full moon is referred to as the “pink moon” after the pink phlox flowers that bloom in spring.

It is also known as a supermoon because the celestial event occurs when it is in its orbit near its closest point to earth.

“This can happen because the moon orbits the earth in an elliptical rather than a circular orbit,” said Anna Ross, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.

“Since this means that the moon is a little closer to us, it appears larger.”

The average distance of the moon from the earth is 384,400 km, added Ms. Ross.

That lunar month, it will reach its next point on April 27 at 4:24 p.m. when it will be 357,379 km away.

According to Ms. Ross, the best time to see the supermoon is “anytime on the night of April 27,” when “it rises in the east just before sunset and sets in the west around sunrise”.

During this time, Earth’s natural satellite appears 14% larger and 30% brighter.

Supermoons usually occur three to four times a year, with the next expected in May 2021.