Last chance for UAE stargazers to spot pink moon today

The last full moon in April, known as the pink moon, will be visible in the UAE and other parts of the world until today, having first appeared in the skies on Tuesday.

With each day, it will become less visible as the Moon gets closer to the third-quarter phase, during which it is only a third of its size compared with when fully illuminated.

Despite its name, the Moon does not really appear to be pink during this celestial event. The name can be traced back to the 1930s, when the Maine Farmers’ Almanac began to publish Native American names for full moons.

“According to this almanac, as the full moon [rose] in April, the tribes of the north-eastern United States called this the pink moon, named after the herb moss pink, also known as creeping phlox, moss phlox or mountain phlox, a plant native to the eastern USA that is one of the earliest widespread flowers of spring,” Nasa said.

Other names for this moon include the sprouting grass moon and egg moon.

Last month, there was a “worm moon” visible. It was given that name by farmers many decades ago because it signified the start of the spring season, when earthworm castings appeared as the ground thawed.

The first supermoon of the year – when the Moon is closer than usual to the Earth and appears larger – will appear in the UAE on July 21.