The Paschal Full Moon

The moon that decides the date of Easter

Hello!

Im delighted to be back in substacking action, thank you for your patience. I am especially glad because this week we find ourselves in the run up to one of the most important full moons of the year, the Paschal Full Moon, which falls at 05.35am on the 6th April.

Spring Moon on Ninomiya Beach, by Kawase Hasui

If you have ever wondered at the mystery that is the ever-shifting timing of Easter, it is all down to this full moon, the Paschal Full Moon, also sometimes called the Ecclesiastical Full Moon. It is the first full moon to follow the ecclesiastical equinox, which is a fixed date, March 21st, unlike the real spring equinox which can fall on the 19th, 20th or 21st. The Paschal Full Moon can fall on any date between 21st March to the 18th April. The first Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon is Easter Sunday, which is why Easter can fall any time between 22nd March and 25th April. And it is why Easter Sunday this year is this weekend.

I have a couple of other old names for April’s moon for you too, all of which have a more agricultural bent: Budding Moon, New Shoots Moon, and Seed Moon. They don’t really need explanation if you have even glanced out of a window this week, where it is buds and shoots ahoy.

Some other highlights coming up in the sky this month:

Mercury is a very hard planet to spot as it is the closest planet to the sun and gets lost in its glare, but if you have a high elevation and a clear view of the western sky it is worth looking for it on the nights around the 11th for about an hour after sunset, when it will be at its greatest eastern elongation, eg its furthest from the sun.

Any readers in north western Australia or Indonesia? If so you have the possibility of spotting a rare hybrid solar eclipse on the 20th. Sadly this is very much not visible from the UK and Ireland.

The Lyrids meteor shower will peak in the early hours of the night of the 22/23rd in good dark sky conditions.

The end of the month is going to be a great time to spot Venus while it is pretty high in the sky. Particularly look out for it on the 23rd when it will be accompanying the crescent moon across the sky, and so will be very easy to pick out.

Wishing you clear skies!