Full Pink Paschal Moon, April Meteor Showers: When To Watch In NorCal

SAN FRANCISCO — Meteor showers return to the skies over California this month, but first, April’s full pink moon was expected to shine bright overnight tonight.

The moon reaches peak illumination at 1:21 a.m. Friday, but you don’t have to wait that late to take in its beauty. A good time to watch is around moonrise — that’s around 8:30 p.m. tonight. As it rises over the eastern horizon, the moon will appear big and golden. Find an open space to watch the moon come up if you can.

Be warned that clouds may get in the way in the Bay Area, where most places show a slight chance of rain late Thursday into Friday morning. Even if that ruins the show, there will be more celestial happenings to look forward to in the not-so-distant future.

The April full moon is called the “pink” moon because it’s associated with the blooming of a vibrant pink wildflower, creeping phlox, sometimes called moss phlox or moss pink, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

The first full moon after the spring equinox is also known as the Paschal full moon, which dictates the date of Easter — Sunday, April 9, this year.

Among Indigenous people, the April full moon references other harbingers of spring — for example, “breaking ice moon” (Algonquin) and “moon when the streams are again navigable” (Dakota), referencing greater ability to travel, and “budding moon of plants and shrubs” (Tlingit) and “moon of the red grass appearing,” (Oglala), references to the start of the growing season.

When To Watch For Fireballs

Later this month, watch for fireballs in the sky.

The Lyrid meteor shower runs from April 15-29, peaking overnight April 22-23, when the moon will be about 9 percent full, according to the American Meteor Society.

It’s an average sky show, producing about 15 or 20 shooting stars an hour, but it historically has produced bright Lyrid fireballs that blaze across the sky and leave dust trails that last for several seconds, according to NASA.

• Related: 2023 Guide To Meteor Showers, Supermoons, Full Moons

The Lyrids intersect with the Eta Aquariid meteor shower, which also starts on April 15. Sometimes called the Eta Aquarids, the show runs through May 27 this year. The peak occurs May 5-6 — at the same time the full flower moon is 100 percent full.

The Eta Aquariids have a broad peak, and that means skywatchers may see elevated numbers of meteors a few days before and after the peak, though the moonlight will compete, according to EarthSky.org.

At the peak, the Eta Aquariids produce between 10 and 30 meteors an hour, according to NASA. They’re known for their speed, entering Earth’s atmosphere at about 148,000 miles an hour, and also for leaving glowing “trains” — incandescent bits of debris — that last for several seconds to minutes.