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

VIRGINIA — Meteor showers return to the skies over Virginia this month, but first, April’s full pink moon shines at its brightest overnight Wednesday and Thursday.

The moon reaches peak illumination at 12:37 a.m. EDT Thursday, 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 7:16 p.m. Wednesday in Northern Virginia. 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.

Right now, it looks like the weather in the DC region will be mostly cloudy on Wednesday night and again on Thursday night.

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.

Virginia State Parks has four parks designated as International Dark Sky Parks by the International Dark-Sky Association: Staunton River, James River, Natural Bridge and Sky Meadows.

Other sports for star-gazing include: Assateague Island National Seashore, Grayson Highlands State Park, James River State Park, Meadows of Dan, Natural Bridge State Park, Natural Chimneys Park, Rappahannock County Park, and Shenandoah National Park, according to Space Tourism Guide.

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 VA Guide To Meteor Showers, Supermoons And 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.