April's full Moon is set to illuminate the sky this Easter with Saturday, Easter Sunday, and Bank Holiday Monday seeing the 'Pink Moon' mark the biggest and brightest full Moon of 2022. 

Also known as 'Sprouting Green Moon', 'Fish Moon', or 'Hare Moon', the Moon will light up the spring sky between 7pm and 8pm. It will reach its peak at 7.55pm this evening (Saturday April 16), according to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.

Due to the position of the Moon corresponding to Earth, it will also appear particularly bright.

April's full Moon is also the first of the spring season, which began with the Spring Equinox on March 20th. This means that April's full Moon is the Paschal Full Moon, an important Moon to those who celebrate Easter, since Easter's date depends on the date of the Paschal Full Moon.

The name 'Pink Moon' is thought to derive from pink flowers, and in particular phlox, (Phlox subulata), which starts to bloom during spring and summer. Phlox is a plant native to eastern North America, (apart from a solitary species that is native to north-eastern Asia). 

It is thought that during the 1930's an American farmer's almanac produced in the state of Maine, started to publish names for each full Moon in the year, with 'Pink Moon' given to April's full Moon. 

Also known as the 'Egg Moon' due to the egg-laying season, watch just as the full Moon is about to rise, as the Moon will pass through a thicker layer of atmosphere, and light particles at the red end of the spectrum don't scatter as easily as light at the blue end of the spectrum. 

Therefore, as the full Moon rises it will appear as an orangey red in colour, turning back to its normal yellow/white colour as it climbs higher in the sky.

The next three Full Moons will be 'Flower', 'Strawberry', and 'Buck'.

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