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America, that means the moon reaches the crest of full phase in the wee hours before sunrise on March 27. But no matter where you live worldwide, watch for the brilliant lamp of the full moon to light up the nighttime from dusk till dawn. Look for the moon low in the east at dusk - at its highest point in the sky around midnight - and low in the west before the sun comes up tomorrow.
• For the Northern Hemisphere, this is the first full moon of springtime. We in this hemisphere call it the Pink Moon, to celebrate the return of certain wild flowers. Other names are Egg Moon, Sprouting Grass Moon, or Easter Moon. In most years, the Christian celebration of Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon of the Northern Hemisphere spring. So tonight's Easter Moon heralds the coming of Easter Sunday on March 31, 2013.
• In the Southern Hemisphere, this is the first full moon of autumn. It's the Southern Hemisphere's Harvest Moon - the closest full moon to the autumn equinox. The Harvest Moon ushers in the year's longest procession of moonlit nights, because the moon rises fairly soon after sunset for several nights in a row. If you live at middle or far southerly latitudes, look for the moon to shine from dusk till dawn for a few to several days in succession.
• The first full moon to follow the March equinox faithfully shines in front of Virgo, the harvest goddess, to signal the change of seasons. Watch the March full moon shine all night tonight from sundown to sunup.
• Bottom line: The first full moon of spring for the Northern Hemisphere - and first full moon of autumn for the Southern Hemisphere - falls during the night of March 26-27, 2013. On this night, the moon is in front of the constellation Virgo, near Virgo's brightest star, Spica.
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