BENGALURU: Stargazers have a string of celestial events to look forward to this April, starting with the sighting of the micro-moon or Pink Moon on Saturday. There are also the Lyrid meteor showers on April 21-22, besides an alignment of planets in the form of a smiley, and a Supermoon.
These celestial events have caught the fancy of both ordinary people and experts, and the terms used to describe them have added to the intrigue. While the Pink Moon has its share of fans, the Lyrid meteor showers, which are termed as ‘stars falling from God’s veena’, promise to be a spectacle.
Similarly, Venus, Saturn and the Moon are expected to align in a particular angle, which appear to be a smiley, on April 25, and the moon on April 27 will be termed the New Supermoon. Experts say these names have been given to build hype and draw attention to these events. However, they agree that these names have piqued interest in the skies, and increased the number of stargazers.
Explaining the term Pink Moon or Blushing Moon, an astrophysicist from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics said it does not mean the moon changes colour. “The term is from the Farmers’ Almanac in the USA. It was coined to refer to early spring wildflowers blooming. It is a micro-moon, which appears a bit smaller than the average full moon. This happens when the moon is slightly further away from the Earth than the average full moon,” he said.
The astrophysicist said people should pay attention to changing time zones of Zero Shadow Day, which started on April 10 in Kanyakumari and will continue till the summer solstice on June 21.“People’s interest in such events has increased over time, which is fantastic, but the names of these various moons are increasingly getting hyped. It leads to more people showing interest in the sky and becoming aware of celestial events, which is to be encouraged. The number of celestial activities have not suddenly increased. Names like Pink Moon are based on local traditions from specific regions,” said Niruj Mohan Ramanujam, scientist at Indian Institute of Astrophysics.
Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium Director BR Guruprasad said the Lyrid meteor showers and other moon changes occur annually, but awareness is increasing due to these catchy terms. People are also keen to buy telescopes and other equipment for stargazing and to improve their knowledge.