April full moon – the Pink Moon – falls on April 23

April full moon

When to watch in 2024: On the night of April 23 into the morning of April 24.
Where to look: Look for the bright round moon in the east in the evening, overhead around midnight, then in the west before sunrise.
Crest of the full moon falls at 23:49 UTC on April 23, 2024. That’s 6:49 p.m. CDT on April 23 in central North America.
Note: As it rises, the April 23-34 full moon is below the star Spica in the constellation Virgo the Maiden.

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Full moon is opposite the sun

All full moons rise in the east near sunset and set in the west near sunrise. They are visible all night. At full moon, the sun, Earth, and moon align in space, with Earth in the middle. The moon’s day side – its fully lighted hemisphere – faces us. That’s why the moon looks full. Also, the moon will look full and round for a day or two around the full moon. And for folks living in mid-northern latitudes, the April moon rises, on average, about 60 minutes later each day. That means that the night after the full moon, you won’t see the moon rise until the sky is fully dark.

April’s full moon is the Pink Moon

This is such a beautiful time of year, especially when the full moon rises! April’s full moon has the nickname of the Pink Moon, because of all the blooming flowers and trees, such as the pink creeping phlox (Phlox subulata).

The moment of full moon – when the moon reaches that point in its orbit directly opposite the sun in the sky – is April 23 at 23:49 UTC (6:49 p.m. CDT) on April 23, 2024. However, a “full moon” is considered any time 12 hours before or after that.

Read: Full moon names by month and by season

Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere view

For Northern Hemisphere moon watchers, the rising Pink Moon glows brightly to the lower left of Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo the Maiden. In the hour just after midnight, the moon arcs above the southern horizon and lies to Spica’s left. When it sets on the morning of April 24, the full moon lies to Spica’s upper left.

For Southern Hemisphere viewers, the scene is quite different. The full moon lies below Spica as they both rise after sunset. In the hour just after midnight, it arcs above the northern horizon and lies to the lower right of Spica. When it sets on the morning of April 24, the full moon lies to the upper right of Spica.

April full moon lies in Virgo

The April full moon can lie in front of one of two constellations of the zodiac. In most years, as it will this year, it lands in Virgo the Maiden. But if the full moon occurs in the final few days of the month, it can fall in Libra the Scales. This doesn’t happen often, and won’t happen again until 2037.

Spotting Spica

Because the full moon is very bright, can you still see Spica? If not, try blocking the moon behind a foreground object such as a building or a utility pole. Spica is an important star for learning the night sky because it’s the southern member of the easily recognizable Spring Triangle. This asterism also includes Arcturus, north of Spica, and Regulus, northwest of Spica. Those three stars form an attractive triangle.

As the American night of April 23-24 advances, the Pink Moon moves noticeably away from Spica. Since the full moon sits on the opposite side of the sky as the sun, when morning twilight begins in the east, the full moon nears the western horizon. It then lies even farther from Spica than it did when it rose nearly twelve hours earlier.

Bottom line: At full moon, the moon rises around sunset, climbs highest in the sky around midnight, and sets around sunrise. The April 2024 full moon on the overnight of April 23–24 is the Pink Moon. It lies near the star Spica in the constellation Virgo.