EYES TO THE SKIES FOR APRIL’S FULL “PINK” MOON! PLUS THE FULL MOON VISITS VIRGO’S BRIGHTEST STAR SPICA! 🔭💙🌕✨ - 12-13/04/25
On the evening of the 12th of April into the morning of the 13th, we will hopefully be treated to views of a beautiful full moon, weather permitting of course.
Although the full Moon may not be the astronomers or astrophotographers best of friends (unless you are wanting to observe/photograph the Moon!), the full Moon always makes for a beautiful sight in the night sky and is an important marker of the seasons for many people.
On this evening the Moon will also be paying a close visit to the brightest star in the zodiacal constellation of Virgo – the bright star Spica.
If you would like more information on this April’s full “Pink” Moon, including what a full moon is, why it is known as the Pink moon, when and where to look to find the moon, plus other celestial treats to look out for, please read on…
WHAT IS A FULL MOON?
A full Moon occurs when its position in its orbit around Earth is at its furthest distance from the Sun (almost on the opposite side of the Earth compared to the Sun). When this happens, the side of the Moon that can be seen from Earth is completely illuminated, giving it the appearance of being full.
THE PINK MOON
Often full Moon names derive their names from Native American traditions, which typically gave distinctions to the Moon based on the time of the year, the weathers relationship to crop harvests and the appearance of certain animals. The Native Americans would keep track of time by observing the seasons and Lunar months. These names were often passed down through the generations, and these names were traditionally applied to refer to the entire lunar month.
Traditionally, April’s full moon is known as The Pink Moon. The reason for this is sadly not because the moon will turn pink, but because this time of year was known to correspond with early spring time blooms of a certain wildflower known as wild ground phlox, also known as “moss pink”. Thanks to this seasonal association, this full Moon came to be called the “Pink” Moon!
ALTERNATIVE APRIL FULL MOON NAMES
Whilst most commonly known as the pink moon, there are plenty of alternative full moon names, mostly referencing to the onset of spring.
Some of these names are as follows; The Breaking Ice Moon (Algonquin), The Moon When the Streams Are Again Navigable (Dakota) in reference the melting ice and increased mobility of the early spring season, Budding Moon of Plants and Shrubs (Tlingit) and Moon of the Red Grass Appearing (Oglala) which is in reference to the impending abundance of plant growth.
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). In 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 honour the sacrifice of the sucker fish to feed the Anishinaabe peoples, traditionally helping them to survive the winter.)
WHEN AND WHERE WILL THE FULL MOON BE?
This month, the full Moon will reach max illumination (100% illuminated) at around midnight when the night of the 12th becomes the morning of the 13th.
The Moon will rise in the early evening of April the 12th at roughly 19:53 towards the East-Southeast, it will then begin to climb higher in the sky travelling towards the South where it will reach its highest point in the sky at about 23 degrees high at around 00:58 on the morning of the 13th. The Moon will then begin to descend towards the West-Southwest where it will set at roughly 05:48.
Remember that you don’t really need to know exactly when the Moon will be fully illuminated to enjoy viewing the full Moon, the Moon will appear full all throughout the night and on adjacent nights.
IN WHICH CONSTELLATION CAN THE MOON BE FOUND?
On the night of the 12th of April, our natural satellite can be found be hitching a ride in the zodiacal constellation of Virgo the maiden.
THE FULL MOON VISITING VIRGO’S BRIGHTEST STAR
Shortly after the Moon reaches maximum illumination, it will also pay a close visit to the brightest star in the zodiacal constellation of Virgo – the bright star Spica.
The Moon and Spica will appear close together all night, however they will reach their closest to each other at roughly 02:36am, when they will be separated by less than 1 degree.
LUNAR OBSERVATION
The great thing about observing the Moon is that we don’t have to go and find a particularly dark location to view it. As the Moon is such a bright object in the sky, we can view it from wherever we are, even from the centre of a heavily light polluted city. Weather permitting of course.
MOON RISE/SET – MOON ILLUSION
It's always lovely to watch the moon rise/set, so if you can head out to witness the moon rise, please do. Every time the moon rises it takes on a beautiful golden, amber colour and appears larger at this time too, due to an optical illusion known as the ‘Moon illusion’. It's truly special to witness. As it rises and glides overhead, it’s colour will transition into a bright white.
Sometimes the Moon can appear even more orangey red than usual too! The hue of the moon typically depends on atmospheric conditions wherever you’re viewing it from. Things like clouds, dust, haze, smoke or pollution can cause the moon to appear different colours by scattering much of the blue light shining on to our natural satellite, leaving it with a more reddish tone.
OTHER CELESTIAL TREATS
There are many other celestial treats in our night skies at this moment in time, here is a small selection of amazing night sky sights to look out for:
- The beautiful open star cluster the Pleiades (aka the Seven Sisters) can be found in the zodiacal constellation of Taurus the bull, very close by to the bright planet Jupiter.
- The amazing Andromeda Galaxy can be spotted to the eye as a small, faint elliptical fuzzy in the constellation of Andromeda.
- Although the period of time after the Vernal/Spring equinox is considered by some as the end of the Aurora season, the Northern Lights may be still be seen dancing on our Northern horizons on nights of strong auroral activity. Typically, the bright Moon tends to wash the aurora out, however occasionally there are displays that are so strong they are visible despite the moonlight.
April is also a good time to spot the bright planets…
- The brilliantly bright planet Venus can currently be easily seen shining brightly at an impressive magnitude of -4.65 towards the East in the early morning just before sunrise. On the morning of the 13th Venus will rise in the East at around 04:54, Venus will disappear from view around the time of sunrise at around 06:07.
- The gas giant Jupiter will be visible in the constellation of Taurus and will become visible from nightfall in the West until it sets in the Northwest at around 01:10.
- The red planet Mars can be spotted in the constellation of Gemini the twins. Mars will appear towards the Southwest not long after Jupiter becomes visible. Mars will set in the Northwest during the morning twilight at roughly 04:07.
WHAT ELSE IS IN THE NIGHT SKY THROUGHOUT APRIL?
If you would like to know more about the rest of the celestial treats that can be seen in the skies throughout April, please head to our YouTube channel to watch our Night Sky Guide video for April 2025.
https://youtu.be/t-DVnh9HSI8?si=NNwFeNgvwkqDbCPw
CLOSING WORDS FROM ASTRO DOG
This month’s full Pink Moon will be a beautiful sight, and the conjunction of the Moon and Spica will make it an even more special occasion! So if you can, we recommend heading out to witness this April’s full Moon!
Clear skies 💖
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