March Full Moon: When to see the Worm Moon

(CNN) The last full moon in winter will light up the sky this week, coinciding with another special opportunity for skywatchers.

Native American tribes called it the worm moon on the 18th^y Horn In a sign of various creatures emerging from their winter hideouts to welcome spring, the Mars Moon will reach peak illumination at 7:42 a.m. ET Tuesday, March 7, according to Old Farmer’s Almanac. But someone looking in at the right moment could spot an amazing planetary phenomenon, too.

“What is most interesting now, which also appears tonight and this week, is the closest and most prominent Determine the positions of Venus and Jupiter “In the western sky just after sunset. The astronomical word for this is ‘conjunction,’” Mike Hanke, director of operations for the American Meteor Society, said via email. “These planets will set as the moon rises, so they are only visible for about an hour at sunset, near Western horizon.

People who get a little rain on Monday or Tuesday night may also be able to spot a moonbow, which is similar to a solar rainbow but is produced by moonlight when refracted by water droplets in the air, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Moonbows only occur when the full moon is low in the sky, so look for them after sunset when the sky is dark.

A worm moon isn’t your last chance to catch a special event in space or the sky. Here are the full moons, eclipses, and meteor showers Watch out this year.

Full moon and super moons

Most years have 12 full moons, but 2023 will have 13, with two — two giant ones — occurring in August. Supermoons are much brighter and closer to Earth than usual, and therefore appear larger in the sky.

Here is a list of the remaining full moons in 2023, according to Old Farmer’s Almanac:

April 6th: Pink Moon
May 5: Flower Moon
June 3: Strawberry Moon
July 3: Pak Moon
August 1: Sturgeon Moon
August 30: Blue Moon
September 29: Harvest Moon
October 28: Hunter’s Moon
November 27: Beaver Moon
December 26th: Cold Moon

Lunar and solar eclipses

There will be Two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses in 2023.

A total solar eclipse — when the moon moves between the sun and Earth, blocking the sun — will be visible to people in Australia, Southeast Asia and Antarctica on April 20.

An annular solar eclipse will occur on October 14 and will be visible across North, Central, and South America. This occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth when the Moon is at or near its furthest point from the Earth – making the Moon appear smaller than the Sun and creating a glowing ring around the Moon.

When watching a solar eclipse, wear appropriate eclipse glasses to avoid the sun’s harmful rays.

A dim penumbral lunar eclipse — when the moon moves through the penumbra, the faint outer part of Earth’s shadow — will occur May 5 for those in Africa, Asia and Australia.

On October 28, a partial lunar eclipse will be visible to people in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, parts of North America, and most of South America. This is when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are not perfectly aligned, so only part of the Moon passes into the shadow.