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A glowing worm moon will light up the sky on Monday, setting up a celestial performance for people heading out in the early morning hours — a penumbra lunar eclipse.
The March full moon, called the worm moon by the Farmer’s Almanac due to its proximity to the spring equinox, will reach its fullest point at 3 a.m. ET.
According to EarthSky, a few hours earlier, starting at 12:53 ET, the Moon will align almost perfectly with the Sun and Earth, causing the outer edge of Earth’s shadow, known as the penumbra, to fall on the glowing sphere. .
Michigan State University Abrams Planetarium director Dr. Shannon Schmoll said the largest eclipse will occur at 3:12 a.m. ET, where the moon will appear slightly darker than normal.
“There will be almost a degree of darkness from one side of the moon to the other. “It’s not going to be a dramatic change in what we see on the Moon,” Schmoll said. “But if you’re sitting there watching it, you might notice some small changes in brightness.”
The worm moon, named by Native American tribes in reference to insect larvae and other creatures that emerge from hibernation in the spring, will be visible to everyone in the world as the moon will appear full for several days.
But the penumbral eclipse will only be visible to those on the night side of the Earth when it occurs, including Europe, Northern and East Asia, Australia, Africa, North America and South America. According to EarthSky, the lunar eclipse will end at 5:33 AM ET.
The penumbra eclipse will occur about two weeks before the total solar eclipse that will pass over Mexico, the United States and Canada on April 8. Lunar and solar eclipses always occur in pairs because of the period when the Sun, Earth and Moon remain aligned, Schmoll said. . While the full Moon will remain in the Earth’s shadow during this penumbral eclipse, the next new moon phase of the Moon will provide the necessary conditions for a solar eclipse and the Moon will come between the Sun and the Earth, obscuring the Moon’s face. view from the sun.
eclipse season
An “eclipse season” is a period of approximately 35 days that occurs every six months near the equinoxes. That’s when the near-perfect alignment of three celestial bodies required for eclipses occurs, according to NASA.
A lunar eclipse doesn’t occur every month because the moon’s orbital plane is tilted by about 5 degrees, so on most full moons the Earth’s shadow will be just below or above the moon, Schmoll said.
While a penumbra eclipse isn’t as dramatic as a total lunar eclipse, where the moon appears an eerie red color, Schmoll said there’s no need for special equipment to view a lunar eclipse, such as the observation glasses needed for a solar eclipse, allowing the lunar eclipse to appear an eerie red color. to be visible to the naked eye.
“You pretty much just have to be outside when the moon is happening and be able to see the moon clearly,” Schmoll added. “(Eclipses) are always a good excuse to go outside and look at the sky and appreciate where we are in the universe and what we can observe from our planet.”
Solar and lunar eclipses
Of the four eclipse events that will occur in 2024, the most anticipated will be the total solar eclipse on April 8, while an annular solar eclipse will occur in parts of South America on October 2. This type of eclipse is similar to a total solar eclipse; However, the Moon is at the farthest point from Earth in its orbit, so it cannot completely block the sun. Instead, annular solar eclipses create a “ring of fire” in the sky as the sun’s fiery light surrounds the moon’s shadow.
Meanwhile, a partial lunar eclipse, in which the Earth moves between the sun and the full moon without being perfectly aligned, will be visible across Europe as well as much of Asia, Africa, North America and South America from September 17-18.
Check the Time and Date website to see when each of these eclipses will appear.
There are more full moons this year
According to EarthSky, of the 12 full moons in 2024, September and October lunar events will be considered supermoon.
Definitions of a supermoon may vary, but the term generally refers to a full moon that is closer to Earth than normal and therefore appears larger and brighter in the night sky. Some astronomers say this event occurs when the Moon is 90% close to perigee, that is, when it is closest to the Earth in orbit.
Here are the remaining full moons of 2024:
• April 23: Pink moon
• May 23: Flower moon
• June 21: Strawberry Moon
• July 21: Buck moon
• August 19: Sturgeon moon
• September 17: Harvest Moon
• October 17: Hunter’s Moon
• November 15: Beaver Moon
• December 15: Cold month
Meteor showers in 2024
According to the American Meteor Society, sky enthusiasts can look forward to numerous meteor showers this year. Here are the dates when meteor events are expected to reach their peak this year.
• Lyrids: April 21-22
• Eta Aquariums: 4-5 May
• Southern Delta Aquariums: 29-30 July
• Alpha Capricorn: July 30-31
• Perseids: 11-12 August
• Draconids: October 7-8
• Orionids: October 20-21
• Southern Taurus Mountains: 4-5 November
• Northern Taurus Mountains: 11-12 November
• Leonids: 17-18 November
• Geminids: December 13-14
• Ursids: 21-22 December
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