The Full Worm Moon (or Full Crow Moon) will light up the skies today (March 12) and it marks the last full moon of the winter season.
Tonight's full moon rises just eight days before the vernal equinox, or spring.
In the U.S., the moon will be at its fullest at 9:54 a.m. EDT (1454 GMT). Because the moon rises in the evening for viewers along the East Coast, many Americans will not see the moon at peak fullness. The moon, however, will be between 99 and 100 percent illuminated from March 11 to March 13, so there will be plenty of time to check out its brightly glowing face.
Skywatchers in Hawaii will be able to catch the exact moment the moon is fullest before sunrise, at 4:54 a.m. HST, while those in the Middle East and surrounding areas of the Eastern Hemisphere will see the moon reach peak fullness after it pokes over the horizon in the evening.
The full moon of March is known as the Worm Moon because it happens when temperatures rise and the earthworms start to reappear. It was also called the Sap Moon, as it's when the maple trees could be tapped to make syrup again after a long winter of frozen sap. Celtic people called the March full moon the "moon of winds." And, according to "A Dictionary of the Choctaw Language" (published in 1915), the Choctaw people called it the "big famine" – perhaps because it was the season when winter food stores would start to run low.
As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins.
Names Given to the Moon by Different Native American Tribes: Rain (Diegueno). Bud Moon (Kiowa). Eagle Moon,Rain Moon (Cree). Green Moon (Pima). Deer Moon (Natchez). Moon of Winds (Celtic). Lizard Moon (San Juan). Death Moon (Neo-Pagan). Wind Strong Moon (Taos). Amaolikkervik Moon(Inuit). Little Frog Moon (Omaha). Little Spring Moon (Creek). Crane Moon (Potawatomi). Long Days moon (Wishram). Big Famine Moon (Choctaw). Moose Hunter Moon (Abenali). Whispering Wind Moon (Hopi). Little Spring Moon (Muscokee). Fish Moon (Colonial American). Snow Sore Eyes Moon(Dakota). Catching Fish Moon (Agonquin). Snow Crust Moon (Anishnaabe). Spring Moon (Passamaquoddy). Much Lateness Moon (Mohawk). Chaste Moon (Medieval English). Buffalo Calf moon (Arapaho, Sioux). Seed (Dark Janic), Plow Moon (Full Janic). Strawberry, Windy Moon, Lenten Moon (Cherokee). Worm Moon, Sugar Moon, Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sap Moon. (Algonquin).
Tonight's full moon rises just eight days before the vernal equinox, or spring.
In the U.S., the moon will be at its fullest at 9:54 a.m. EDT (1454 GMT). Because the moon rises in the evening for viewers along the East Coast, many Americans will not see the moon at peak fullness. The moon, however, will be between 99 and 100 percent illuminated from March 11 to March 13, so there will be plenty of time to check out its brightly glowing face.
Skywatchers in Hawaii will be able to catch the exact moment the moon is fullest before sunrise, at 4:54 a.m. HST, while those in the Middle East and surrounding areas of the Eastern Hemisphere will see the moon reach peak fullness after it pokes over the horizon in the evening.
The full moon of March is known as the Worm Moon because it happens when temperatures rise and the earthworms start to reappear. It was also called the Sap Moon, as it's when the maple trees could be tapped to make syrup again after a long winter of frozen sap. Celtic people called the March full moon the "moon of winds." And, according to "A Dictionary of the Choctaw Language" (published in 1915), the Choctaw people called it the "big famine" – perhaps because it was the season when winter food stores would start to run low.
As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins.
Large Black Raven Crow and Rising Moon at Yellowstone Photo by Captain Kimo
Names Given to the Moon by Different Native American Tribes: Rain (Diegueno). Bud Moon (Kiowa). Eagle Moon,Rain Moon (Cree). Green Moon (Pima). Deer Moon (Natchez). Moon of Winds (Celtic). Lizard Moon (San Juan). Death Moon (Neo-Pagan). Wind Strong Moon (Taos). Amaolikkervik Moon(Inuit). Little Frog Moon (Omaha). Little Spring Moon (Creek). Crane Moon (Potawatomi). Long Days moon (Wishram). Big Famine Moon (Choctaw). Moose Hunter Moon (Abenali). Whispering Wind Moon (Hopi). Little Spring Moon (Muscokee). Fish Moon (Colonial American). Snow Sore Eyes Moon(Dakota). Catching Fish Moon (Agonquin). Snow Crust Moon (Anishnaabe). Spring Moon (Passamaquoddy). Much Lateness Moon (Mohawk). Chaste Moon (Medieval English). Buffalo Calf moon (Arapaho, Sioux). Seed (Dark Janic), Plow Moon (Full Janic). Strawberry, Windy Moon, Lenten Moon (Cherokee). Worm Moon, Sugar Moon, Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sap Moon. (Algonquin).
Photo Credit: Don Brown The cawing of crows signaled the end of winter
VIDEO Full moon over Seneca Lake.
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