Here’s what else you’ll see in the night sky in April

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – The solar eclipse was one of the most anticipated events in the sky for the last few months but if you are interested in seeing more cool events in the sky, there are still two more this month!

Monday’s solar eclipse was also a Super New Moon. During a full moon, we see a big bright moon in the sky, however, a new moon is the opposite. New moons happen every month but this one in particular happens to line up perfectly with the Sun, giving us the solar eclipse.

Here are some other events happening in the sky this month:

Lyrid Meteor Showers

Next week, the Lyrid meteor shower can be visible in the night sky anywhere between April 16 and April 25 but will peak on Monday, April 22.

If you know your way around the night sky, you’ll want to look up near the Lyra constellation to view the meteor showers and be away from areas with high light pollution. During peak activity, there’s a chance to see up to 18 meteors an hour. The meteors are very fast and bright at night but there aren’t as many meteors seen as the Perseids shower in August.

This meteor shower is one of the oldest known showers, which have been observed over the last 2,700 years. The first recorded sighting dates back to 687 BC in China.

There is one problem with viewing this meteor shower this year. The almost full moon will be shining brightly in the night sky on that Monday because the full moon is Tuesday, April 23. However, you may still be able to see some meteors.

Pink Moon

As mentioned, the Pink Moon will be seen on Tuesday, April 23. It is given the name “Pink” because of the pink wildflowers that typically bloom in April. Peak illumination will occur at 7:49 p.m. in Massachusetts.

Despite its name, the moon will not appear pink. Names of full moons come from North American native tribes who used the full moons as marking points throughout the year, such as the Strawberry Moon, Sturgeon Moon, Worm Moon, Harvest Moon and others.

The Pink Moon is sometimes the first full moon after the spring equinox, which determines when Easter is held each year. This year the Worm Moon was the first full moon of spring, which is why Easter was celebrated on March 31.