Why The Pink Moon May Look Orange Over VA

VIRGINIA — The weather forecast this weekend looks to be unfavorable to see the first full moon of spring as it rises Saturday evening.

The National Weather Service predicts rain consistently in Virginia from Friday through 2 a.m. Sunday. Precipitation chances are 100 percent Friday, dropping slightly Saturday, and dipping to 30 percent Saturday evening.

April’s full moon is known as the pink moon. It’s not pink, of course. It’s named after the pretty pink ground phlox that signals the arrival of spring.

But it may not appear as the silvery gray orb, either. Because moonrise and sunset are so closely timed, the moon could be bathed in an orangish glow as it peeks over the eastern horizon at about 7:40 p.m. local time in Virginia.

Sunset is a couple of minutes later at 7:42 p.m.

The full moon occurs far enough in advance of the Lyrid meteor shower peak that it could allow for a decent show. It’ll be about 50 percent illuminated at the April 21-22 peak.

One of the oldest recorded meteor showers with observations dating back to 687 B.C., the Lyrids are known for luminous dust trains that last for several seconds, according to NASA. At the peak, the Lyrids offer about 18 shooting stars an hour.

The ancient Eta Aquariid meteor shower gets started around April 19 and runs concurrently with the Lyrids. This shower is the more prolific of the two, offering about 30 shooting stars an hour. These fast meteors also leave glowing trains that can last anywhere from several seconds to minutes, according to NASA. The shower peaks overnight May 4-5 and rambles on until month’s end.