A PINK supermoon is brightening the night skies over the North-East and North Yorkshire next week.

Stargazers can see April's full moon - the first of two supermoons this year - next week, with it reaching peak illumination early hours of Tuesday, April 27.

Around 4.31am will be the best time to see the moon, which will appear larger in the sky, but as long as you are around after dark you should be able to see it in its glory.

READ MORE: Lyrid meteor shower: Thursday morning skies to dazzle

Despite its name, there is no colour change to the appearance of the lunar surface – it is a northern Native American reference to an early-blooming wildflower, which starts to pop up in the US and Canada at the beginning of spring.

In some other cultures, the pink moon is known as the sprouting grass moon, the egg moon, and the fish moon.

The pink moon is also a supermoon, which typically looks up to 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter in the sky as it reaches its closest point to Earth, known as its perigee.

April’s supermoon is the first of the year, with one to follow in May. This is known as the flower moon.

The celestial display follows the Lyrids meteor shower this week, which peaks on Thursday morning.