April’s full moon is set to peak within hours of Nasa’s Artemis II launch, which will take astronauts to the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years.

Known as the Pink Moon – named after the flowers that appear at this time of year – it will appear on Thursday at 3:12am in the UK (10:12pm EDT Wednesday).

Lift-off for the historic space mission is currently scheduled to take place at 6:24pm EDT from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, meaning astronauts will be on their way to the Moon aboard the Orion spacecraft when it reaches peak illumination.

The mission will see a four-person crew travel around the Moon on a 10-day journey that will take them further from Earth than any human has ever travelled.

This is because the Moon’s orbital position in early April 2026 is slightly further from the Earth than the last time astronauts took a similar high-altitude trajectory around the Moon during the Apollo 13 mission in 1970.

It will not be possible to see the Orion spacecraft when it is in flight without a high-powered telescope, though a live feed of its position will be available to anyone with an internet connection on Nasa’s website.

The full moon will be visible across large parts of the UK, according to the latest Met Office weather forecast, though cloud cover will obscure it for those in the south east and north east of England.

The Moon will continue to appear full on Thursday night, offering another chance to view the celestial spectacle.

Despite the name, the Moon will not actually appear pink, though it may coincidentally take on a pinkish hue when it is close to the horizon due to atmospheric conditions.

On Wednesday night, the Moon will rise in the southeastern region of the sky just after the Sun sets.

The next full moon, known as the Flower Moon, will take place at 6:23pm BST on Friday, 1 May.