When to see the March full moon and why it’s called ‘worm’

The Moon, the Earth’s only natural satellite, is located one average distance of 382,400 kilometers from our planet. The lunar month has 29.53 days and is what it takes to go from one New Moon to the next.

During a lunar month, the Moon goes through all its phases. Just like the Earth, half of the moon is illuminated by the sun while the other half is in darkness. The phases that are observed result from the angle that the Moon makes with the Sun as seen from Earth.

A full moon occurs when the side of the Moon facing Earth is completely illuminated by the Sun. There are different types of full moons, some very unusual, such as red moons, supermoons, blue moons or harvest moons, among others. Despite their curious names, it does not mean that they adopt these shades, since they are only colloquial names.

For this month, the Moon will be in its maximum splendor next Friday, March 18, at 02:17. This is traditionally known in the US as the Worm Moon, a name explained by NASA.

According to the space agency, native tribes in the northern and eastern US named this full moon by the action of earthworms as they produce fertilizerand appear when the ground thaws before spring.

“At this time of year, the ground begins to soften enough for earthworms to reappear, inviting robins and other birds to feed, a true sign of spring“, according CBSwhich highlights the information of the Old Farmer’s Almanaca calendar for farmers published since 1792. (I)

Full moon calendar for 2022