April’s full pink moon will peak at 10:11 p.m. ET Wednesday, according to Time and Date. Despite the moniker, the silvery orb will appear in its usual brilliant gray hue.
The lunar event’s rosy name instead pays tribute to the early spring bloom of Phlox subulata. A wildflower species native to eastern North America, it’s often called “moss pink,” which typically flowers around April’s full moon, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
The moon may still appear full Tuesday and Thursday, said Noah Petro, chief of NASA’s planetary geology, geophysics and geochemistry laboratory at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Full moons are visible to those in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, as they are considered to be in the full moon phase up to 12 hours before and after their peak, according to EarthSky.
For the best view, local weather conditions allowing, Petro suggests finding clear skies and an unobstructed spot away from trees or buildings. The darker the environment, the more you can enjoy the event, he added.
Across Indigenous communities, April’s full moon has a range of names including “kawohni,” meaning flower moon to the Cherokee; “kwiyamuyaw,” meaning moon of windbreak to the Hopi, and “tabehatawi,” meaning frog moon to the Assiniboine.
April’s full pink moon also marks the first potential launch date in April for Artemis II, the first human mission to journey to the moon’s vicinity in over 50 years. Four astronauts are aiming to travel farther than any human has previously gone into deep space, flying around the moon and beyond its far side.
This early April launch period runs from April 1 to 6, with a two-hour window each day, according to NASA. On Wednesday, the launch window opens 1.28 hours before sunset; the next day, it opens 0.32 hours before sunset; and on the remaining dates, it opens progressively later after sunset.
