Final full moon of winter rises Tuesday night
Temperatures are trending upward across North America, and the popular nickname for the full moon in March has a direct relationship to the changing weather.
The first full week of March will feature the rise of the Worm Moon. It will appear on March 7, illuminating the night sky all week long.
The moon has been at the forefront of astronomical events as of late, ranging from an alignment with Jupiter and Venus to a close encounter with Mars at the end of February. It will once again take center stage in the night sky this week as it rises on Tuesday evening.
The full moon on Tuesday, March 7, will be the final full moon of astronomical winter, with astronomical spring slated to arrive on the equinox at 5:24 p.m. EDT on March 20. This is different from meteorological spring, which began when the calendar flipped to March 1.
A passenger jet is silhouetted against the rising full moon on approach to Sky Harbor airport Friday, March 18, 2022, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Every full moon has several nicknames related to the month in which it rises. Some of these nicknames are related to the weather and date back hundreds of years to Native American tribes and when the early Colonials settled across North America.
The full moon that rises in March is most commonly called the Worm Moon, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. As spring arrives and temperatures trend upward, earthworms begin to emerge from the softening ground following their winter slumber.
Other nicknames for the full moon in March include the Goose Moon, the Snow Crust Moon, the Eagle Moon and the Sugar Moon.
The moon will also be featured in another notable astronomy event at the end of March as it aligns with Mars and Jupiter after sunset on Sunday, March 26.
Folks who step outside on the final weekend of the month to see the alignment will also be treated to a great view of the constellation Orion. Orion has been visible in the night sky for the past few months, but it will soon disappear from view as it shifts to the same area of the sky as the sun. The famous constellation will not become visible at night again until autumn.
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