Have you seen The Worm Moon?

Albus_Scope

The full Worm “Blood” Moon reaches its peak in the very early hours of March 14th (Friday) at around 6am, so if you want to see it, I hope you like early mornings.

But as the saying goes, "the early bird catches the worm…moon." 😉

This year, this is more than just another full Moon! There is also going to be a Total Lunar Eclipse, also known as a Blood Moon. During a lunar eclipse, the Sun, Moon, and Earth all align so that the Earth comes in between the Moon and Sun. This means that the Earth will cast a shadow over the Moon (also known as the umbra). When the Moon is in the umbra of the Earth, the Earth casts a reddish shadow, hence the name Blood Moon.

But why is it called a Worm Moon?

Each months moon is given a different name, March’s full Moon goes by the name of Worm Moon. For many years, we thought this name referred to the earthworms that appear as the soil warms in spring. This invites robins and other birds to feed, which is a great sign that spring is here.

However, more research revealed another explanation. In the 1760s, Captain Jonathan Carver visited the Naudowessie (Dakota, USA) and other Native American tribes and wrote that the name Worm Moon refers to a different sort of “worm”—beetle larvae—which begin to emerge from the thawing bark of trees and other winter hideouts at this time.

There are quite a few names for the March Moon that speak to the transition from winter to spring. Some refer to the appearance (or reappearance) of certain animals, such as the Eagle Moon, Goose Moon, or Crow Comes Back Moon , while others refer to signs of the season. Personally, I'd just call it the "I don't need my jumper moon"

Will you be getting up early to see this wonder of nature?

Zipz

Yes. I'm insomniac so I'll be well and truly awake to watch before 6 am.

Rosie_Scope

Ooh this is so interesting. I'm not sure I'll be up to see it at its best but I'll have a look out at night to see what it looks like.

Always love staring up at a big full moon!

JessieJ

Hope the sky will be clear, as I'll be up.

Sandy_123

Not seen it myself

Albus_Scope

I was lucky and one of my dogs woke me up at 5.55am today, so I got to see a bit of it through the clouds. Though I was quite sleepy still, so failed to get any photos. Oops! Did anyone else manage to see any of it?

WhatThe

The Moon I saw late last night was high in the sky, white and small

🤔

OverlyAnxious

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/996533#Comment_996533

And incredibly bright here. Thought I was going to need some moonglasses!

WhatThe

Dazzling bright white it was 😎

Zipz

No. Too much cloud cover. Very disappointed.