When to see the pink full moon on Saturday in Arizona

April's full moon will appear smaller than usual. Here's how to see it and why it's called a Pink Moon.

April 10, 2025

Image: A full moon in the sky over mountains.

A full in 2012 seen over southern Arizona. Ken Bosma/CC BY 2.0/Flickr Creative Commons

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Skywatchers of Arizona can catch a glimpse of the Pink Moon when it lights up the evening skies on Saturday night. But despite its vibrant name, it won’t actually be any more colorful.

It will also be a micromoon — essentially the opposite of a supermoon — and will appear to be slightly smaller than normal.

So where does April’s full moon get its color-drenched nickname? Is there a pink moon tonight?

For the answers to those questions, here’s everything to know about the pink full moon on Saturday, including when and where in the sky to look, as well as the source of its name.

click to enlarge

April's full moon will also be a micromoon.

Melanie Magdalena/Unsplash

What day is the full moon in April?

The April 2025 full moon will occur on Saturday, April 12.

What time is the Pink Moon in Arizona?

The full moon, also known as a Pink Moon, will rise at 6:59 p.m. on Saturday evening and will reach its peak brilliance at 12:35 a.m. early Sunday morning. It will set at 6:08 a.m. on Sunday.

Where can you see the Pink Moon?

The moon will rise in the eastern/southeastern skies and gradually move across the southern sky throughout the evening.

Is April’s full moon actually pink?

Nope. It will appear with its usual silver and gray coloring.

Why is it called a Pink Moon?

April’s full moon coincides with beginning of spring, a time when pink wildflowers like the fuchsia-colored moss phlox are in full bloom. Early Indigenous and colonial American cultures often named full moons after seasonal events, a tradition later popularized by the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Other names for April’s moon — including the Egg Moon and Sprouting Grass Moon — are similarly connected to spring’s themes of renewal and growth.

What is a micromoon?

A micromoon occurs when a full moon is at its farthest point from Earth, also known in astronomy terminology as its apogee. It's essentially the opposite of a supermoon, making the moon appear smaller and dimmer than usual.

How much smaller is April’s full moon?

The April 2025 full moon will appear to be 5.1% to 6.9% smaller in diameter than a normal full moon, according to the website Space.com.

Benjamin Leatherman is a staff writer for Phoenix New Times where he focuses primarily on arts, culture, music and nightlife. He joined New Times in 2003. Prior to that, he contributed to magazines such as Tips & Tricks and The Wrestler. Benjamin has earned multiple awards from the Arizona Press Club including an award for sports enterprise reporting in 2009 and an award for statewide arts reporting in 2014. He holds a bachelor’s of arts in journalism from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

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