Prepare for the Full Pink Moon—and the Paschal Full Moon!
April’s full Moon drifts into the sky on the night of Wednesday, April 5, reaching peak illumination at 12:37 A.M. EDT on the 6th! Traditionally called the Pink Moon, this full Moon is also the Paschal full Moon this year. Here’s everything you should know about the Moon this month, including facts, folklore, and Moon phase dates.
When to See the Full Moon in April 2023
Venture outside on the night of Wednesday, April 5, to catch a glimpse of April’s full Pink Moon. This full Moon actually reaches peak illumination at 12:37 A.M. Eastern Time on Thursday, April 6, which means that it will be at its peak on the night of April 5 in more westerly time zones.
For the best view of this lovely spring Moon, find an open area and watch as the Moon rises just above the horizon, at which point it will appear its biggest and take on a golden hue! (Find local Moon rise and set times here.)
Read Next
Paschal Full Moon: The First Full Moon of Spring
This year, April’s full Moon is the first full Moon of the spring season, which began with the spring equinox on March 20, 2023. This means that April’s full Moon is the Paschal Full Moon—an important Moon to those who celebrate Easter, since Easter’s date depends on the date of the Paschal Full Moon.
Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon (i.e., the first full Moon of spring), which means that it will be celebrated this year on Sunday, April 9 (following the full Moon on April 5-6).
→ Read more about the curious link between the Moon and Easter’s date.
Why Is It Called the Pink Moon?
The full Moon names used by The Old Farmer’s Almanac come from a number of places, including Native American, Colonial American, and European sources. Traditionally, each full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, not only to the full Moon.
The Pink Moon
Although we wish this name had to do with the color of the Moon, the reality is not quite as mystical or awe-inspiring. In truth, April’s full Moon often corresponded with the early springtime blooms of a certain wildflower native to eastern North America: Phlox subulata—commonly called creeping phlox or moss phlox—which also went by the name “moss pink.”
Thanks to this seasonal association, this full Moon came to be called the “Pink” Moon!
Alternative April Moon Names
In April Moon names, references to spring abound! Breaking Ice Moon (Algonquin) and Moon When the Streams Are Again Navigable (Dakota) reference the melting ice and increased mobility of the early spring season, while Budding Moon of Plants and Shrubs (Tlingit) and Moon of the Red Grass Appearing (Oglala) speak to the plant growth that will soon kick into high gear.
Other names refer to the reappearance of certain animals, including Moon When the Ducks Come Back (Lakota), Moon When the Geese Lay Eggs (Dakota), and Frog Moon (Cree). Along the same vein, Sucker Moon (Anishinaabe) notes the time to harvest sucker fish, which return to streams or lake shallows to spawn. According to legend, now is the time when this fish comes back from the spirit world to purify bodies of water and the creatures living in them. (This name may also be applied to the February Moon, to honor the sacrifice of the sucker fish in order to feed the Anishinaabe peoples, traditionally helping them to survive the winter.)
→ See all 12 months of full Moon names and meanings.
Moon Phases for April 2023
All dates and times are Eastern Time. See our Moon Phase Calendar to customize times and dates to your location.
April Moon Phase Dates and Times
.png){kind=small} | Full Moon: April 6, 12:37 A.M. ET |
.png){kind=small} | Last Quarter: April 13, 5:12 A.M. ET |
.png){kind=small} | New Moon: April 20, 12:15 A.M. ET |
.png){kind=small} | First Quarter: April 27, 5:21 P.M. ET |
→ When is the next full Moon? See our Full Moon calendar.
April Moon Facts and Folklore
A full Moon in April brings frost. If the full Moon rises pale, expect rain.
- On April 20, 1972, the lunar module of Apollo XVI landed on the moon with astronauts John Young and Charles Duke aboard. Thomas Mattingly remained in orbit around the moon aboard the command module.
- One day later, on April 21, 1972, Apollo XVI astronauts John Young and Charles Duke drove an electric car on the surface of the moon. It’s still up there along with some expensive tools and some film that they forgot.
- According to folklore, the period from the full Moon through the last quarter of the Moon is the best time for killing weeds, thinning, pruning, mowing, cutting timber, and planting below-ground crops. Read more about Gardening by the Moon.
Full Pink Moon Video
Each month, we will explain the traditional names of the full Moon along with some interesting and insightful Moon facts. Click below to watch the video.
April Best Days 2023
Below are the Best Days for activities, based on the Moon’s sign and phase in April.
For Planting:
- Aboveground crops: 25, 26
- Belowground crops: 7, 8, 16, 17
For Setting Eggs:
- 4, 5, 13, 14
For Fishing:
- 1–6, 20–30
→ See Best Days for more activities.
Share your thoughts about this month’s Moon below!
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Easter is my favorite holiday, but I have many friends who celebrate Passover. The date of Passover is also dictated by the Full Moon, which in turn leads to the date of Easter, depending upon the month.
This April I will be adopting the Lakota name for the full moon, The Moon When the Ducks Return, as indeed a pair of mallards have shown up in my mom's backyard pond, filled to the brim with our unusually heavy spring rains, along with 11 ducklings. This is the second year ducks have found her yard to be a suitable nursery.
the Native Americans had very interesting names for the different moons. They were usually based on the weather or what was growing at the time. sometimes on what was available for hunting. Read of some in Marie Sandoz' "Crazy Horse."
The moon is a big tortilla
It was said that the light of this moon is not really pink, it was beautiful glowing bright so I decided to snap some pics and in four or five of them the are where the light is passing through does appear to be pink, and no filters whatsoever were used.... Is the pink perhaps something our eyes cannot pick up? Quite peculiar
Hi Brian, Good question. The amount of pinkness depends more on whether the Moon is near the horizon. In this case, you’ll see more pink/red wavelengths. And if there is ash in the atmosphere, the Moon can go an even deeper shade of pink or orange than normal. So there’s your answer; the Moon’s true color is grey, but appears to us in whatever color the Earth’s atmosphere makes it appear!
I took some great pictures last night .. I was worried we would have cloudy weather on the 7th, so I just had to grab as many as I could for now .. but still looking forward to see if I can get any on this given night.
Great site ! Thank you ;-)
my first time reading this
the article is very informative thank you
Boy oh boy am I ready for this one!
First things first, I am very excited about this moon. This moon is one of my favorites. Mainly just the moon itself, but also this phase of the moon. Boy I love full moons.
However, I am curious as to why this has been deemed the pink moon and -not- the egg moon. Who picks the name? Who owns the moon? No one. Should we even be naming the moon? We have no right. No right!
The moon is the moon and that’s all there is to it.
I appreciate your support in the moon but I have to say that this is breaching on the moon’s autonomy. But also I would rather it be called the egg moon.
Excited for it!
where in the world did you come up with egg moon it does not look like an egg
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