Embrace Spring- The Full Worm Moon & Total Lunar Eclipse Are Coming

DID WE HAVE A FULL MOON LAST NIGHT?

The next full moon we will be experiencing isn't coming until March 13th into the morning of March 14th, so I can't blame my seemingly stressful day yesterday on a full moon since we didn't have one!

I searched online to see if we had recently had a full moon and found out that, in fact, we did not. However, the next full moon will be called the 'Full Worm Moon' and will bring with it a total lunar eclipse!

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WHAT IS A 'FULL WORM MOON?'

This brought about another round of questions from my space brain.  Why is it called the Full Worm Moon????

It does indeed come from worms, but with different meanings. According to an article online, The Old Farmer's Almanac calls it the Worm Moon because this is the time of year when earthworms start to appear from the ground, thawing. Similarly, but still a bit different, NASA says that southern Native American Tribes called it a 'Worm Moon' because 'earthworm casts appear as the ground thaws.'  Either way, I guess the answer is the worms are waking up, and that means spring is coming.

GARY BOYLE - THE BACKYARD ASTRONOMER

According to Gary Boyle, known as 'The Backyard Astronomer,' The Full Worm Moon will be making its way into the Earth's shadow. This will create a pretty beautiful Lunar eclipse.

In the press release, Gary says that the orange tint on the moon's surface during 'totality' is basically refracted sunlight that is passing through Earth's atmosphere. (I'm thinking this is going to be a beautiful sight for those interested enough in finding a nice dark place to view the night time sky and for those who have the patience to watch).

WHEN TO VIEW IN THE CENTRAL TIME ZONE

Here in the Central time zone, the Lunar eclipse should begin at about 12:09 am on the morning of March 14th, with mid-eclipse taking place around 1:58 am and ending at approximately 3:47 am.

So mark your calendars, and if you have a way of getting some beautiful nighttime photos, please feel free to send them to me so we can share them with everyone to see.

Email: kelly.cordes@townsquaremedia.com