Full Moon in April

By Alexander Merz · Updated on 28 August 2026 · Details checked on 14 September 2026

Here you will find the exact date of the full moon in April – with the time for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the traditional name of the month’s full moon and the dates for the coming years.

And if you want to see the Moon closer than with the naked eye: our buying guide for beginners explains which telescope makes sense to start with, what budget to plan for and which classic mistakes to avoid.

How the April full moon sits in the sky

The April full moon stays distinctly lower than in winter. Shortly after rising it stands low above the horizon – the time when it looks especially large.

Pink Moon – where the name comes from

The Pink Moon is one of the most common mix-ups in the full moon calendar: the Moon does not turn pink on that night. The name comes from wild phlox (Phlox subulata), which flowers pink across wide areas of North America in April. The German name Launing plays on the proverbially moody April weather, Ostermond, the Easter moon, on the church year.

Almost all the full moon names in common use today come from North America and were popularised by US almanacs. German-speaking Europe had its own names for the months: April was called Launing or Ostermond. Both traditions mean the same thing – an attempt to tie the course of the year to what is actually happening outdoors.

What else is going on in the April sky

At the end of April the Lyrids reach their maximum – the first meteor shower worth mentioning after the long winter break. The spring sky with Leo and Virgo stands high in the evening.

Full moon in April: the dates for the coming years

The interval from one full moon to the next averages 29 days, 12 hours and 44 minutes. Because our calendar months are longer, the date moves forward year by year – which is why the full moon in April never falls on the same date. All the coming dates are listed in the full moon calendar, and our page about the Moon explains how the phases come about.

The dates that are actually worth it are often months apart – and easily forgotten. So you do not miss one:

Observing the full moon – an honest note

As beautiful as the full moon is to the naked eye, in a telescope it is at its least interesting in exactly this phase. Because the Sun shines straight down onto the lunar surface, the shadows are missing and craters look flat. You see considerably more a few days before or after full moon along the day-night boundary, the so-called terminator.

If you do want to look at the full moon through a telescope, you should use a moon filter – without one it is uncomfortably glaring. For 1.25-inch eyepieces the Apertura 1.25" Moon Filter*Omegon Premium Moon Filter 1.25″* is all you need (at $14.95€ 19.90) – spending more buys you nothing here. More on this in our buying guide to moon observation.

For the Lyrids and the Moon: binoculars are quite enough: Celestron Cometron 7x50 Binoculars

The astronomy classic among affordable binoculars: 7×50 with a large exit pupil for bright handheld views of the Moon and Milky Way – the ideal first step before a telescope.

Price: € 65

View at Astroshop* →

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