Pink Supermoon lights up the night sky as stunning pictures show glowing spectacle around the world
A STUNNING pink supermoon has lit up the night sky - and photographers from across the world have captured striking images of the phenomenon.
This evening's moon appears bigger and brighter than usual as it is closer to earth.
It's the first of just two supermoons in 2021.
April's full moon is traditionally known as the Pink Moon.
Rather than it being a reference to the colour, it's because the moon's appearance coincides with the flowering of a type of pink moss, Phlox Subulata, in some regions of the northern hemisphere.
Other names for this moon include the Sprouting Grass Moon and the Egg Moon.
The title of 'supermoon' is granted to full and new moons that pass Earth at the closest point in their orbit.
In April and May, that closest point will be less than 224,000 miles.
Nasa's Gordon Johnston said: “The term ‘supermoon’ was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979.
"It refers to either a new or full moon that occurs when the moon is within 90 per cent of perigee, its closest approach to Earth.
“These two full moons are virtually tied, with the full moon on 26 May, 2021, slightly closer to the Earth than the full moon [in April], but only by about 157km, or about 0.04 per cent of the distance from Earth to the moon at perigee.”
The supermoon will peak at 4.31am on April 27, but will appear full in the sky to casual observers on each day either side.
Forecasters at the Met Office have predicted ideal conditions for those keen to see the moon at its fullest.
Skies should remain clear for much of tonight, they said, although there will be "some persistent rain for northern Scotland".
John Maclean, an astronomy expert who runs Exeter Observatory, told DevonLive: "Don’t expect to see a particularly 'huge' moon.
"On average, a supermoon is about 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than a normal full moon, and while this may not make much difference, the moon will look larger as it rises over the horizon."
Last month's full moon on March 28 was called the 'Worm Moon' - and it's dubbed 'the true sign of spring'.
That's because earth worms emerge in the soil around this time of year.
The spectacle is also known as the Sugar Moon, the Sap Moon and the Crow Moon.A STUNNING pink supermoon has lit up the night sky - and photographers from across the world have captured striking images of the phenomenon.
This evening's moon appears bigger and brighter than usual as it is closer to earth.
It's the first of just two supermoons in 2021.
April's full moon is traditionally known as the Pink Moon.
Rather than it being a reference to the colour, it's because the moon's appearance coincides with the flowering of a type of pink moss, Phlox Subulata, in some regions of the northern hemisphere.
Other names for this moon include the Sprouting Grass Moon and the Egg Moon.
The title of 'supermoon' is granted to full and new moons that pass Earth at the closest point in their orbit.
In April and May, that closest point will be less than 224,000 miles.
Nasa's Gordon Johnston said: “The term ‘supermoon’ was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979.
"It refers to either a new or full moon that occurs when the moon is within 90 per cent of perigee, its closest approach to Earth.
“These two full moons are virtually tied, with the full moon on 26 May, 2021, slightly closer to the Earth than the full moon [in April], but only by about 157km, or about 0.04 per cent of the distance from Earth to the moon at perigee.”
The supermoon will peak at 4.31am on April 27, but will appear full in the sky to casual observers on each day either side.
Forecasters at the Met Office have predicted ideal conditions for those keen to see the moon at its fullest.
Skies should remain clear for much of tonight, they said, although there will be "some persistent rain for northern Scotland".
John Maclean, an astronomy expert who runs Exeter Observatory, told DevonLive: "Don’t expect to see a particularly 'huge' moon.
"On average, a supermoon is about 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than a normal full moon, and while this may not make much difference, the moon will look larger as it rises over the horizon."
Last month's full moon on March 28 was called the 'Worm Moon' - and it's dubbed 'the true sign of spring'.
That's because earth worms emerge in the soil around this time of year.
The spectacle is also known as the Sugar Moon, the Sap Moon and the Crow Moon.8 In 2002, a new category of Best Actress At Pretending To Be Delighted When Another Actress Wins was won by Meryl Streep. Her award was greeted by whoops of joy from fellow nominee Glenn Close, who was then strongly tipped to win the award the following year.
9 For nearly 40 years, there was an Academy Award for Best Performance By An Animal. The inaugural prize in 1976 was won by Goldie, the goldfish who played the title role of the shark in the film Jaws.
Goldie the Goldfish had auditioned against strong competition from much bigger fish, including a cod, a tuna and a haddock. But in the final round the film’s director was attracted by what he called Goldie’s ‘sheer drive and larger-than-life charisma’.
Reviewers were ecstatic. ‘It was an astounding performance,’ proclaimed the Hollywood Reporter. ‘Fitted with a prosthetic fin and large teeth, this extraordinary young goldfish, barely five inches long, really grew into the part.’
10 But after the global success of Jaws, Goldie’s career took a nosedive. Some blamed this failure on the goldfish’s poor choice of roles. Preview audiences said he looked silly wriggling out of a victim’s stomach in the title role in Aliens (1986), and when he played Colonel Protheroe in Agatha Christie’s Murder At The Vicarage (1987), some complained that he looked daft in a moustache.
11 The category of Best Performance By An Animal was abandoned after the 2016 winner, a bear called Percy, famous for playing the leading role in The Revenant, ate the award’s presenter.
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