The last full moon of the winter will light up the skies this week, and coincides with another special opportunity for observers.
Called the “Worm Moon” by Native American tribes, in reference to different creatures emerging from their winter hiding places to welcome spring, the March Moon will reach peak illumination on Tuesday (7), according to with Old Farmer’s almanac.
However, someone looking up at the right moment might also catch another planetary phenomenon.
“What is a little more interesting now, and also visible tonight and this week, is the close and prominent positioning of Venus and Jupiter in the western sky just after sunset,” said Mike Hankey, operations manager for the American Meteor Society. “The astronomical word for it is conjunction. These planets will be setting when the moon is rising, so they will only be visible for about an hour at sunset near the western horizon.”
People who get a little rain on Monday or Tuesday night can also spot a lunar rainbow, which is like a solar rainbow but produced by the moon when it is refracted by water droplets in the air. The so-called “Moonbows” only happen when the full moon is low in the sky.
Full Moons and Supermoons
Most years have 12 full moons, but 2023 will have 13. Supermoons are brighter and closer to Earth than usual, and therefore appear larger in the sky.
Here is the list of remaining full moons in 2023, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac:
- April 6: Pink Moon
- May 5: Flower Moon
- June 3: Strawberry Moon
- July 3: Buck’s Moon
- August 1st: Sturgeon Moon
- August 30: Blue Moon
- September 29: Full Moon
- October 28: Hunter’s Moon
- November 27: Beaver Moon
- December 26: 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 14th, and will be visible from North, Central and South America. This is when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, when the Moon is at or near the farthest point from Earth – making the Moon appear smaller than the Sun and creating a bright ring around the Moon.
A penumbral lunar eclipse — when the Moon moves through the penumbra, the outer, faint part of Earth’s shadow — will occur on May 5 for those living 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. It’s when the Sun, Earth and Moon don’t line up completely, so only part of the Moon passes into shadow.
Source: CNN Brasil

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