All eyes will be on the biggest sky event of the year — the total solar eclipse of 2024. But two weeks before the moon blocks the sun to darken the daytime sky, the full March “worm moon” will be glowing in the night sky and bringing a partial lunar eclipse.
The March moon officially turns full at 3 a.m. on Monday, March 25, so it will look 99% illuminated Sunday night, 100% illuminated Monday night and 99% illuminated Tuesday night during its waning gibbous phase.
While it’s not getting as much attention as the upcoming solar eclipse, the moon will create a partial lunar eclipse as it moves across part of the Earth’s shadow late Sunday into early Monday, according to NASA. The event will be known as a “penumbral eclipse,” because the moon will “travel through the Earth’s penumbra, or the faint outer part of its shadow.”
The end result: “The moon will dim very slightly over those few nighttime hours,” NASA notes.
When to see the March full moon
In the New York City region, the near-full March moon will rise in the eastern sky at 6:48 p.m. Sunday, and the completely full moon will rise at 7:48 p.m. Monday in the eastern sky, according to TimeAndDate.com.
On Tuesday, the almost-full moon is scheduled to rise in the east-southeastern sky at 8:49 p.m.
These are the dates, times and nicknames of the 12 full moons that will be shining in the sky in 2024. The times are listed in the Eastern time zone.Len Melisurgo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Nicknames for the March full moon
While some people might get squeamish by the thought of slimy critters, the most common nickname of the full March moon is the “worm moon” — because this is the time of year when the cold ground thaws and earthworms start slithering up from the soil as spring arrives. (The first official day of spring was Tuesday, March 19.)
Among the other nicknames for the third full moon of the year are the crow moon, crust moon, chaste moon, sap moon and sugar moon, according to TimeAndDate.com. “The Old English/Anglo-Saxon name is Lenten Moon.”
The moon nicknames are derived from native American tribes who tracked each year and each season by paying attention to the full moon cycles.
The full moon of March is commonly known as the "worm moon" because this is the time of year when the cold ground thaws and earthworms start slithering up from the soil as spring arrives.Pixabay
When to see the solar eclipse
The so-called Great American Eclipse of 2024 will occur on Monday, April 8.
Only certain areas of 14 states will be in the “path of totality” — the narrow zone where the sun will be 100% darkened by the moon. Those areas will experience total darkness for 3 to 4 minutes during daylight hours.
Although New Jersey will not be in the path of totality during this solar eclipse, about 90% of the sun will be blocked by the moon for more than an hour in the late afternoon on April 8. At the maximum coverage of the eclipse, the sun will look like a thin crescent moon shining in the afternoon sky.
This map from NASA illustrates the path of the moon’s shadow across the U.S. during the total solar eclipse coming on April 8, 2024. During a total solar eclipse, the moon completely blocks the sun while it passes between the sun and Earth. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk, and those standing in the path of totality may see the sun’s outer atmosphere (the corona) if weather permits.NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio
The moon will begin drifting across the sun in the Garden State region at 2:09 p.m., with the maximum darkness occurring at 3:24 p.m., and the final contact occurring at 4:35 p.m.
Astronomy experts are urging the public to wear special safety glasses to avoid eye damage when looking at the sun during the April solar eclipse.
“Except during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the moon completely blocks the sun’s bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing,” NASA notes. “Viewing any part of the bright sun through a camera lens, binoculars or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury.”
“When watching the partial phases of the solar eclipse directly with your eyes, which happens before and after totality, you must look through safe solar viewing glasses (”eclipse glasses”) or a safe handheld solar viewer at all times,” the agency adds.
Stories by Len Melisurgo
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Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com or on X at @LensReality.