April's 'pink moon' rises on Saturday

Skygazers will be able to enjoy spring’s first full moon — known as a “pink moon” — across the world on Saturday. And for some, it is imbued with religious significance, Yahoo News reports.

Here’s when and how to see it:

When will it appear?

The pink moon will peak on Saturday, April 12, at 8:22 p.m. ET — or at 00:22 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) on April 13.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac also provides a moonrise calculator based on your location.

Will the moon appear pink?

While April’s full moon is called a pink moon, it won’t actually be pink (womp, womp). It gets its name from the pink wildflowers that are the earliest to bloom in spring in parts of North America, known as creeping phlox, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

What is the religious significance of pink moon this year?

The first full moon that appears on or after the spring equinox is also known as the paschal moon and is used to determine the date of Easter.

The Christian holiday falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon in spring. Because the full moon will appear either on April 12 or 13 depending on where you are located around the world, Easter will instead fall on April 20 this year because it's the first Sunday after the full moon. It also explains why the Christian holiday falls so late in 2025.

The first full moon in spring also coincides with the start of the Jewish holiday Passover, which falls on April 12 this year.