Pink Full Moon Thursday, But Not For Everyone

Farmer’s Almanac readers may know a pink full moon Thursday will jazz up the night sky … but not all people of Earth will be able to see the spectacle live in person.

Eager skywatchers will probably want to catch the pink full moon Thursday, which will coincide with a lunar eclipse. But many of the planet’s residents won’t be in a place where the phenomenon will be viewable due to the timing of the eclipse and the moon’s trajectory.

Space.com explains the timing of the pink full moon Thursday, explaining that Americans and Canadians will be unable to view the sky show, but, in Asia, Africa, and Europe, skyward gazers may catch a very interesting lunar sight if they pay attention:

“Beginning at 2:04 p.m. EDT (1804 GMT), the moon begins to meet the Earth’s shadow; a little over two hours later it arrives under the middle of that shadow. By then the moon will have just risen and will be visible low to the east-southeast horizon as seen from Ireland, and will be setting over south-central Japan in the morning hours of Friday, April 26.”

The pink full moon could also appear as red, and Discovery explained a few years back why the orb’s color is altered during certain conditions:

“The other factor is the state of Earth’s atmosphere along the sunrise-sunset line. If the air is very clear, the eclipse is bright. But if a major volcanic eruption has polluted the stratosphere with thin haze, the eclipse will be dark red, ashen gray, or blood-black.”

‘Pink’ Full Moon Brings Lunar Eclipse Thursday dlvr.it/3Gd2vF

— SPACE.com (@SPACEdotcom) April 22, 2013

While North America won’t be in line to see the pink full moon Thursday, the phenomenon has been visible from US shores in the past, and we may get to see some cool pics out of Europe, Asia, or Africa after the event.