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The full moon, as it was seen on December 8, 2022 from the international space station. Easter falls on Sunday, which follows the first full moon, which occurs on or after the day of the spring equinoxas. . | Credit: NASA
Saturday evening (April 12th) brings us the April -full moon, which is traditionally referred to as “pink full moon”. The American indigenous people who once occupied the northern and east to the United States
The “Pink moon“However, the name deceives a lot Full moon Will glow with a pink or salivating color. A few years ago here at Space.com I related myself an anecdote When I was a little boy and a local television -weathercaster suggested looking for the pink moon and my mother dutifully brought out to show me – instead he appeared disappointingly like any other normal full moon.
The “pink” nickname arises from April, which is part of the spring season when a widespread flowering plant that is native to the eastern and central parts of Canada and the United States, is usually in full bloom: Phlox subulataWhich is also the name “Creeping”, “Mountain” or “Moss Pink” phlox. Hence the pink reference for the April full moon.
The rules for the dating of Easter
This year Full Moon has another title: The Paschal Moon. It is an important lunar event for two different cultures, as it serves to define the beginning of the Hebrew Passover Festival and the date of the Christian Easter vacation.
Related: Full moon calendar 2025: When do you see the next full moon
The new moon next of the Spring equipment is the first day of the Hebrew month of Nisan. Then comes the next full moon, the so-called pashall moon, on 14 or 15 Nisan, which also marks Pesach or Passahfest.
As for Easter, it falls on Sunday that follows the first full moon to appear on or after the day of spring (spring) Equinox: The Paschal Moon. Since the Paschal moon occurs this year on Saturday (at 8:22 p.m. EDT), it is in the opinion that Easter should come the next day, Sunday (April 13).
But it doesn’t.
In fact, eight days after this Paschal full moon are celebrated on April 20 before Easter Sunday. We will explain the likely reason for this discrepancy at a moment.
First, however, some “beautiful points” in relation to the criteria for the determination of a date for Easter must be cited.
Church hierarchy against astronomy
First, according to the current church rules of spring equinox – The first spring day – is set on March 21st, although from 2008 to 2101 will actually take place at the latest 20 March. This sometimes leads to some curiosities. In 2038, the Equinox falls on March 20 with a full moon the next day (a Sunday). Easter on March 28 of this year should fall astronomically. In reality, Easter in 2038, as it is prescribed by the rules of the church, is observed as late as possible on April 25th.
Secondly, the dating of the Paschal full moon is not based on astronomical calculations, but from church tables. These tables derive their moon calculations (known as Computer Paschalis) From such elements as EPAKTS and the Golden number. The date of the “ecclesiastical moon” is therefore not always precisely aimed at the real moon!
As a result, how the renowned Belgian mathematical astronomer Jean Meeus shows in his 1997 book “Mathematical astronomy bites”, “ There are 78 cases between 1583 and 2582, in which Easter is celebrated exclusively in accordance with the church rules and not the more precise astronomical data.
Comments Meeus: “Because the spring sequinx does not always take place on March 21st and the Paschal full moon does not match the real full moon, there is inevitably years when Easter falls on a wrong date.”
Related: The full moon, the Easter determines
Other Easter curiosities
Meeus also raises some other fascinating facts about the dating of Easter. For example:
The earliest date on which Easter can fall is March 22 (the last time was 1818; the next time it will be 2285). The latest (as already mentioned) is April 25th.
March -Easter data is always “isolated”. This means that an Easter date in March is always (a year earlier) and followed (a year later) in April from an Easter. In rare cases, there can also be an isolated Easter in April. The last time this happened was in 1990, but it will only happen again in 2085.
In our Gregorian calendarIt is possible to record 10 consecutive Easter Sunday in April, but this consecutive series of Easter in April has never appeared since this first calendar. Finally, it will take place for the first time in the middle of the 29th century and extends over the years from 2856 to 2865.
Between the years from 2000 to 7999, the date that Easter is most common is (231 times). April 19, however, is between 2000 and 2999 the date on which Easter is most common, not on April 19, but on April 16 (43 times).
Related stories:
– The full pink moon of April will rise as a “micromoon” this weekend – what you can expect from the smallest full moon of 2025
– Spring equinox 2025: Say goodbye to winter in the northern hemisphere today
– What is the moon phase today? Moon phases 2025
So why so late in 2025?
Now take back the question of why Easter apparently comes to an end this year. Interestingly, it has nothing to do with the ecclesiastical method with the pashalling moon or the inaccurate placement of the spring equinoxus. Here in North America, the Pashall full moon (depending on its time zone) occurs on Saturday (April 12) in the late afternoon or evening.
But the Paschal -Pollmond takes place via the Atlantic Ocean for European Pregnancy (“The Old World”) After midnightEarly on Sunday morning (April 13). This includes the Vatican, which would probably have priority on site in the western hemisphere.
The first Sunday after the Paschal moon in the Old World would come a week later on April 20. And then Easter Sunday will take place this year. The youngest since 2019 and until 2030 (both of which are on April 21).
Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York’s Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History MagazinePresent Heaven and telescope and other publications.
