We were calm there for a moment after the whirlwind of Mercury retrograde, but the sky is ready to spice things up again. The first full moon of spring arrives this week, and the month after that is gifting us with glorious full moons.
April’s full moon, known as the Pink Moon, reaches peak illumination on Wednesday, April 1, at 10:11 p.m. EDT. Despite the name, the moon won’t actually look pink. Live Science notes that the name comes from pink phlox, one of the early spring wildflowers associated with this time of year, and that this full moon marks the first full moon of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
Want to see it? On April 1, look east around sunset and find a spot with a clear view of the low horizon. The moon will look nearly full on March 31 and will still appear full on April 2, so there’s a little room around the main event. Skywatching experts also note that the Pink Moon will appear near Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, giving you one more thing to look for once you’re outside.
April’s Pink Moon and May’s Blue Moon Are Both on the Way. Here’s When to Look Up.
Then May decides one full moon just won’t cover it. There’s the Flower Moon on May 1, followed by a Blue Moon on May 31. NASA lists May 31 as one of the notable astronomical events of 2026, and in the usual calendar-month definition, a Blue Moon means the second full moon in a single month. It won’t look blue, which remains one of the more annoying branding choices in astronomy.
There’s also a lot of calendar meaning packed into the April moon. It’s reported that this year’s Pink Moon begins Passover at sunset on April 1 because of the Hebrew calendar’s lunar timing. In Western Christianity, the same full moon sets Easter on April 5, while Eastern Orthodox Easter falls on April 12. So even if most people don’t spend much time thinking about the moon on an average night, this one has held religious and seasonal significance for a very long time.
You won’t need a telescope or much planning. Just find a good view, look east at the right time, and let the moon handle the rest.
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