'Pink Moon' v. Lyrids Meteor Shower: Peak Dates

By BETH DALBEY (Patch Staff)

For two such cool events turning up in the sky — April’s famous “Pink Moon" and the Lyrids Meteor Shower — this is a major celestial bummer.

They're likely to cancel each other out. And likely here in the Hudson Valley, clouds and rain will put a damper on viewing prospects

Let's talk about that Pink Moon first. It's set to bloom this week, but will it really be pink?

Well, no, it won’t, according to fullmoonphases.com. The name comes from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the first widespread flowers of the spring.

Earthsky.org says the interference from the full moon could make the meteor shower a bust.

It’s too bad, too, because although the Lyrids don’t produce a lot of meteors — typically, around 10 to 15 on a moonless night — they are known for uncommon, difficult-to-predict surges that can sometimes bring up to 100 meteors per hour.

Another aspect that — usually — makes this meteor shower a crowd-pleaser is that the Lyrids tend to be bright and often leave trails, which may be enough to overcome the drenching moonlight during the peak, April 22.

Unfortunately for the Hudson Valley, both Thursday and Friday nights will be mostly cloudy to cloudy, according to the National Weather Service. There is a chance of showers Thursday night and the possibility of thunderstorms and rain Friday night.

The good news is, in spite of the fact that the Lyrids peak Thursday and Friday, skies will be clear Saturday night, so maybe it will be possible to still see some of the meteors darting through the skies above the Hudson Valley.

(Jason Koestenblatt of the New Jersey Patch staff contributed.)

Image credit: Nike Lewinski via Flickr / Creative Commons