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Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
How to see the flower moon in UK skies next week
The flower moon will rise over the UK on 12 May, but will be a little smaller than most full moons. A micromoon rises behind the so-called liver bird, the symbol of Liverpool that sits on top of the city's Royal Liver Building. (Alamy) The flower moon will rise over British skies on 12 May, but it will be a little smaller than most full moons, making it what is known as a 'micromoon'. The moon will appear full over most of the weekend, but will be at its best on Monday night. A full moon is when the moon appears as a complete circle in the sky: this is because the whole side of the moon facing us on Earth is lit up by the sun's rays. Because the moon does not produce its own light, we only see the parts of it that are lit up by other objects like the sun. This one will appear smaller, as it's further away. Where and when is the best time to see it? The flower moon will rise over the UK at 9.28pm BST on 12 May, according to Sky at Night. The moon will rise in the southeast beneath the constellation Libra and will not rise very high in the sky, and will stay in the southern part of the sky, setting in the southwest before dawn. A micromoon rises over the Czech capital of Prague last month. (Alamy) Why is it called the flower moon? The names we use for full moons today (such as cold moon, wolf moon and harvest moon) come to us indirectly from Native American traditions. Nasa's Gordon Johnston wrote: 'In the 1930s, the Maine Farmer's Almanac began publishing Indian names for the full moons, tying these names to the European months." The flower moon is named as such because it coincides with a time of year when flowers are abundant – it's also known as the corn-planting moon or milk moon, according to NASA. What is a micromoon? In contrast to the better-known supermoon, this month's flower moon will be a "micromoon". This means it appears very slightly smaller from Earth. Both supermoons and micromoons are due to the fact that the moon's orbit is not a circle – it's elliptical. This means that the moon is sometimes closer to Earth and sometimes further away - a micromoon occurs when a full moon happens when it is furthest away from the Earth.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
How to see ‘pink micromoon' light up UK skies this weekend
This month will see a very special full moon rise on Sunday night - a pink micromoon. Depending on the weather, the micromoon should be very visible from Britain on Sunday evening. The moon should look 'bold and bright' in the night sky, Sky at Night magazine promises. Sadly, pink moons are not actually pink. In reality, it's more likely to be an orangey colour as the full moon rises over the horizon. Instead, the term 'pink moon' comes from American terminology for different moons of the year. NASA's Gordon Johnston writes, 'The Maine Farmer's Almanac first published Native American names for the full Moons in the 1930s. Over time these names have become widely known and used." The term 'Pink Moon' comes from a spring flower, Wild Ground Phlox, also known as Moss Phlox which grows in North America, and appears at the time of April's full moon. The full moon is linked to the date of Easter, with Easter falling on the Sunday after the full moon that appears after the spring equinox. The rules date from the First Council of Nicaea in 325BC, with the council deciding that the moon would help pilgrims travel for Easter. In contrast to the better-known 'supermoon', the Pink Moon this month will be a 'micromoon'. Both supermoons and micromoons are due to the fact that the Moon's orbit is not a circle - it's elliptical. This means that the Moon is sometimes closer to Earth and sometimes further away - a 'micromoon' occurs when a Full Moon occurs when the Earth is furthest away. The scientific term is 'apogee moon'. NASA says that 'micromoon' 'is a recently coined term to describe the full moon near apogee. Apogean full moon is more descriptive of 'micromoon' events but is, perhaps, more limited in time by its specification of apogee.' On 13th April, the Pink Moon will rise at 21:08 BST. The moon will reach its peak brightness at 1.22am BST, according to Royal Museums Greenwich.
USA Today
11-03-2025
- Science
- USA Today
Red-letter day: Worm moon becomes a spooky blood moon this week
Red-letter day: Worm moon becomes a spooky blood moon this week Show Caption Hide Caption How to see rare 'Blood Moon' Lunar Eclipse On the night of March 13, 2025, a total lunar eclipse will be visible across most of the Americas, as well as parts of Europe and the UK, depending on the weather. unbranded - Newsworthy This week's full moon will come with a special treat – a total lunar eclipse, which will turn the moon a spooky blood red color. While the eclipse will last from 1:47 a.m. EDT to 4:10 a.m. EDT Friday morning, March's full moon reaches peak illumination at 2:55 a.m. EDT on Friday, the Old Farmer's Almanac said. But you don't have to wait until the middle of the night: The moon will still look nearly full when it appears above the eastern horizon late Thursday afternoon, even though the precise moment the moon is full is a few hours later. A "blood moon" total lunar eclipse will occur late Thursday, astronomers say. Here's everything you need to know. It will also look plenty big Wednesday and Friday nights. It looks especially vast to us when it's near the horizon because of the "moon illusion," when it looks larger there than it does when it's high in the sky. The March full moon is known as the "worm" moon. Here's why: Why is it called the worm moon? For hundreds of years, people across the world, including Native Americans in the eastern and central U.S., named the months after nature's cues. Each full moon has its own name, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. "The tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full moon," the almanac said. "Their names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred." According to NASA, the more southern tribes called this the worm moon after the earthworm casts that appeared as the ground thawed. Total lunar eclipse 2025: What to know about this week's 'blood moon' "It makes sense that only the southern tribes called this the worm moon," said NASA's Gordon Johnston in an online report. "When glaciers covered the northern part of North America they wiped out the native earthworms. After these glaciers melted about 12,000 years ago the more northern forests grew back without earthworms. Most of the earthworms in these areas are invasive species introduced from Europe and Asia." Northern tribes had other names for March's full moon, including the the crow, crust, sap and sugar moon, NASA said. What to know about our planet: Sign up for USA TODAY's Climate Point newsletter. Or were they beetle larvae? Yet another explanation: The worm moon name refers to a different sort of 'worm' – beetle larvae – which begin to emerge from the thawing bark of trees and other winter hideouts at this time of the year, the almanac said. A "blood moon" total lunar eclipse will occur late Thursday, astronomers say. Here's everything you need to know. According to the almanac, in the 1760s, Captain Jonathan Carver visited the Naudowessie (Dakota) and other Native American tribes and wrote that the name worm moon refers to a different sort of 'worm' − beetle larvae − which begin to emerge from the thawing bark of trees and other winter hideouts at this time. What is a blood moon? The blood moon is a trick of the light, when the typical whitish looking moon becomes red or ruddy brown. It happens during a total lunar eclipse when the moon is fully in Earth's shadow and a little bit of light from Earth's sunrises and sunsets falls on the surface of moon, making it appear red. When is the next full moon? The next full moon after the worm moon is the pink moon, which will peak April 12, 2025. A "blood moon" total lunar eclipse will occur late Thursday, astronomers say. Here's everything you need to know. The pink moon is named after the herb moss pink, also known as creeping phlox, moss phlox or mountain phlox. This is a plant native to the eastern United States that is one of the earliest widespread flowers of spring. Contributing: Maria Francis, USA TODAY NETWORK; Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press
