Earth & Sky

Full moon for U.S. before dawn April 20

(Credit: David. Some rights reserved.)

Saturday, April 19, 2008.

This year’s April full moon falls at precisely 10:25 a.m. Universal Time on April 20.

That’s around dawn on April 20 for us in the continental U.S., which means that tonight’s moon will look more full to us than the moon Sunday night – even though your calendar probably says that tomorrow is the full moon. The full moon happens for all of us at the same instant. On some parts of the globe, it’s sunrise. Somewhere else it’s sunset – or noon – or midnight.

But no matter where you live, a full-looking moon will light up the night tonight and tomorrow night, from dusk till dawn. You’ll see a bright star close to tonight’s moon. t’s Spica, the brightest light in the constellation Virgo the Maiden. In skylore, Spica is sometimes said to represent an “ear of wheat” held in the hand of Virgo. This constellation returns to the eastern sky in the evening during northern hemisphere spring. It has long been associated with agriculture.

And, every year, the first full moon after the March equinox always shines in front of Virgo. Because Virgo is an exceptionally large constellation, covering a large area of the sky, sometimes the March full moon and the April full moon both appear in Virgo in the same year. That’s the case in 2008. Meanwhile, Spica – Virgo’s brightest star – always reaches midnight culmination around this time of year. That means that, like tonight’s moon, it’s highest in the sky around midnight.

Written by Bruce McClure

5 Comments for Full moon for U.S. before dawn April 20

1. 1

   Apr 17, 05:20 PM #

   Dr X says:

   You do realize it’s Thursday the 17th, right? Or is this article written.. in the future?

   “which means that tonight’s moon will look more full to us than the moon Sunday night “

2. 2

   Apr 17, 07:11 PM #

   Bruce McClure says:

   Dr X,

   Did you hear this show on the radio or find it on the Earth & Sky web site? Yes, you are able to read and listen to future radio shows on this site. The broadcast date is listed at the top of the page, which for this show is “Saturday, April 19.”

   Bruce

3. 3

   May 20, 03:29 PM #

   coco says:

   will there be a full moon that will look realy big too us.

4. 4

   May 20, 03:29 PM #

   coco says:

   will there be a full moon that will look realy big too us.

5. 5

   May 20, 04:06 PM #

   Bruce McClure says:

   Coco,

   The closest and largest full moon of the year will come on December 12, 2008.

   Bruce