Clear skies forecast for full Pink Moon viewing in Okanagan, Kamloops

April’s full Pink Moon will by the smallest full moon of the year but skies will be cloudless for viewing it over the weekend. 

The moon reaches peak illumination at 5:22 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, appearing full the night before and after.

The Pink Moon won’t actually look pink.

It’s named after a creeping moss called mountain phlox which is native to the eastern United States and flowers in spring. April’s full moon goes by several other names including Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon or Fish Moon, according to the Old Farmers Almanac.

Clouds are in the overnight forecast for the Thompson-Okanagan region on Friday, but will be crystal clear on Saturday and Sunday night.

Night time sky watchers can also mark a couple more April dates on the calendar.

On April 17, the planets Neptune, Mercury, Saturn and Venus will align and the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower is on April 22 when there’s a chance you’ll see up to 18 meteors per hour. 

If you get photos of the full Pink Moon, please send them to news@infonews.ca.