Full Pink Moon: Total lunar eclipse to occur on April 15

Zee Media Bureau/Salome Phelamei

New Delhi: Sky enthusiasts, get ready to witness another much-anticipated astronomical event coming up this month. A total lunar eclipse, also called as `Full Pink Moon` or `April`s Full Moon` is expected to occur on April 15 at 3:42 a.m. GMT. The eclipse will be visible in North and South America, Australia, New Zealand and other parts of the Pacific region, where it will last about 77 minutes. During this time, the Moon will be having a red shade as the sunlight passing through the Earth`s atmosphere and turns a tinted red as seen during sunrise and sunset. It is believed that the name of the lunar event comes from the springtime bloom of the moss pink spring flower. April`s Full Moon, Full Pink Moon, indicates the appearance of the moss pink, or wild ground phlox-one of the first spring flowers. Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and the Fish Moon are other names for the April Moon. Interestingly, April 15 will not be the only total lunar eclipse in 2014. There is also another one coming up on October 8 this year. Again, two other eclipses will take place on April 4, 2015 and September 28, 2015, which means four total lunar eclipses are happening in a row over the next couple of years, a phenomenon called as the tetrad (when there are four total lunar eclipses in a row).