Extra bright 'pink' supermoon to light up Kilkenny skies this evening

Kilkenny skygazers will be treated to weather-dependent treat this evening as the annual April 'pink supermoon' returns in full strength.

Unfortunately, the moon will not actually be pink in colour, just much brighter. The 'pink' moniker actually derives from pink flowers, known as phlox, that are known to bloom in the springtime when this lunar event occurs.

At a certain point in its orbit, called 'perigee', the moon is at its closest to Earth. This is because the moon rotates around the Earth in an elliptical trajectory.

When the moon is at its perigee, it's approximately 14% larger and 30% brighter than when it's at its 'apogee', or furthest point from Earth.