A full moon shines over the Artemis 2 rocket during an earlier launch attempt. (Image credit: Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP via Getty Images) Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Get the Space.com Newsletter Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!
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An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletterGet ready stargazers! The April full moon rises tonight, bringing a spectacular natural light show to the early spring sky as NASA's Artemis 2 rocket sits on the pad ready to launch four astronauts on a 10-day mission to the far side of the natural satellite.
This month's full moon phase will occur at 10:12 p.m. EDT on April 1 (0211 GMT on April 2), as the lunar disk glows opposite the sun in Earth's sky, fully lit by the light of our parent star, mere hours after the launch window opens for the Artemis 2 launch. Moonrise and moonset times vary depending on your viewing location. April's full moon is also known as the "Pink Moon", in reference to the ground-covering phlox that blooms around this time in parts of North America.
A telescope with an aperture of 4-6 inches will help reveal the long dark smear of Mare Frigoris (the Sea of Cold) snaking across the northern extreme of the lunar disk. The small mare at the very centre of the moon is known, fittingly, as Sinus Medii, the Bay of the Center, while the 150-mile-wide (242-kilometer) expanse of Mare Vaporum (the Sea of Vapors) is visible 15 degrees directly above it, with the large Manilius Crater on its eastern border.
Find lesser known lunar maria scarring the lunar surface during the full moon. (Image credit: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio, annotations made by Anthony Wood in Canva)
Next, sweep your scope southwest to find Mare Nubium (the Sea of Clouds), with Mare Humorum (the Sea of Humours) to its left, relative to the moon's north pole.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen will be treated to an up-close and personal view of the moon over the course of their 10-day Artemis 2 mission.
You can stay up to date with the latest Artemis 2 action with our Artemis 2 live blog.
Get the Space.com NewsletterContact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsDuring their brief stay in Earth orbit — and during Orion's days-long transfer to lunar space — the crew will witness the waning gibbous phase, as the line separating night from day sweeps right-to-left across the moon's surface. Their distant trajectory will then see them join the ranks of the 24 Apollo-era astronauts who remain the only humans to ever see the far side of the moon, though only a small part of the far side will be lit at the time of their passage.
The most detailed Artemis SLS Lego set, this adult-aimed model has 3,601 pieces and stands 28-inches (71 cm) tall. We thought "Lego has knocked it out of the park" in our full build review. Don't forget about the newer, more compact and much cheaper Lego Technic SLS set, only $60, also 'launches' with some clever Technic moving parts.
Want to get a closer look at Earth's moon? Then be sure to check out our guide to viewing the lunar surface, along with our picks of the best telescopes and binoculars for exploring the night sky.
Editor's Note: If you would like to share your photos of the Pink Moon with Space.com's readers, then please send your image(s), comments, and your name and location to [email protected].
Anthony WoodSkywatching WriterAnthony Wood joined Space.com in April 2025 after contributing articles to outlets including IGN, New Atlas and Gizmodo. He has a passion for the night sky, science, Hideo Kojima, and human space exploration, and can’t wait for the day when astronauts once again set foot on the moon.
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