Lunar eclipse: Here's how to see the upcoming wormhole moon

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A glowing wormhole moon will light up the sky on Monday with a celestial performance in store for people who venture out in the early morning hours — a penumbral lunar eclipse.

The full moon in March, which is referred to as the worm moon Farmers Almanac Due to its proximity to the vernal equinox, it will be at its peak at 3 a.m. ET.

A few hours ago, starting at 12:53 a.m. ET, According to Earth SkyThe Moon will be in almost perfect alignment with the Sun and Earth, causing the outer edge of Earth's shadow, known as the penumbra, to cast the glowing orb.

The greatest eclipse will be at… 3:12 am. Eastern time, when the moon appears slightly darker than usual Dr. Shannon Schmolldirector of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University.

“There will almost be a gradient in darkness happening from one side of the Moon to the other. There won't be a big dramatic change in what we see on the Moon,” Schmuhl said. “But if you sit there and watch it, you might notice some subtle differences in brightness.”

The worm moon — named by Native American tribes for beetle larvae and other creatures that emerge from hibernation in the spring — will be visible to everyone around the world, as the moon will appear full For a few days.

However, the penumbral eclipse will only be visible to those on the moon's surface The night side of the Earth When the event occurs, including Europe, North and East Asia, Australia, Africa, North America and South America. The lunar eclipse will end at 5:33 a.m. ET, according to EarthSky.

The penumbral eclipse comes about two weeks before the total solar eclipse that will cross Mexico, the United States and Canada on April 8. Schmoll said that lunar and solar eclipses always come in pairs because of the period during which the sun, Earth and moon remain on one line. . While the full Moon will fall into the Earth's shadow during this penumbral eclipse, the Moon's following new moon phase will allow for the conditions necessary for a solar eclipse, when the Moon will be between the Sun and Earth and thus obscure the face of the Moon. Sun from view.

The “eclipse season” is an approximate 35-day period that occurs every six months, near the equinox, When the near-perfect alignment of the three celestial bodies necessary for an eclipse occurs, According to NASA.

Schmoll said lunar eclipses do not occur monthly during every full moon because the moon's orbital plane is tilted by about 5 degrees, so for most full moons, the Earth's shadow will be directly below or above the moon.

While a penumbral eclipse is not as dramatic as a total lunar eclipse where the moon appears strangely red, there is no special equipment required to view a lunar eclipse like the glasses needed to view a solar eclipse, Schmuhl said, allowing a lunar eclipse to occur. To see it with the naked eye.

“All you have to do is be outside and have a clear view of the moon when it happens,” Schmuhl added. “(The eclipse is) always a good excuse to get out and try to look at the sky and appreciate our place in the universe, and what we can observe from our planet.”

Solar and lunar eclipse

While the most anticipated event among the four eclipse events that will occur in 2024 is… A total solar eclipse on April 8An annular solar eclipse will occur on October 2 over parts of South America. This type of eclipse is similar to a total solar eclipse, except that the Moon is located at the farthest point in its orbit from the Earth, so it cannot completely block the Sun. Instead, an annular solar eclipse creates a “ring of fire” in the sky where the fiery sunlight surrounds the moon's shadow.

Meanwhile, a partial lunar eclipse, where the Earth moves between the sun and the moon without being perfectly aligned, will appear over Europe and much of Asia, Africa, North America and South America between September 17 and 18.

Checks Location time and date To find out when each of these eclipses will appear.

Of the 12 full moons in 2024, lunar events in September and October will be counted as supermoons, according to EarthSky.

Definitions of a supermoon can vary, but the term generally refers to a full moon that is closer to Earth than usual and therefore appears larger and brighter in the night sky. Some astronomers say this phenomenon occurs when the Moon is within 90% of perigee – its closest approach to Earth in orbit.

Here are the remaining full moons of 2024:

• April 23: Pink Moon

• May 23: Venus Moon

• June 21: Strawberry Moon

• July 21: Pac Moon

• August 19: Sturgeon Moon

• September 17: Harvest Moon

• October 17: Hunter’s Moon

• November 15: Beaver Moon

• December 15: Cold Moon

Sky watchers can look forward to a slew of meteor showers this year, according to American Meteor Society. Here are the dates when meteor events are expected to peak this year.

• Guitars: April 21-22

• Eta Aquarius: May 4-5

• Buckeyes south of the Delta: July 29-30

• Alpha Capricorn: July 30-31

• Perseids: August 11-12

• Dragon: October 7-8

• Al-Jabariyat: October 20-21

• Southern Supplies: November 4-5

• Northern revolutions: November 11-12

• Leonids: November 17-18

• Gemini: December 13-14

• Ursids: December 21-22