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A bright worm moon will light up the sky on Monday with a celestial display in store for early morning goers – a half moon eclipse.
The March full moon, called the worm moon by the Farmers’ Almanac because of its proximity to the spring equinox, will be at its fullest at 3 a.m. ET.
A few hours earlier, starting at 12:53 a.m. ET, according to EarthSky, the moon will be almost perfectly aligned with the sun and Earth, causing the outer edge of Earth’s shadow, known as the penumbra, the glowing orb. .
The greatest eclipse will be at 3:12 a.m. ET, when the moon will appear slightly darker than usual, said Dr. Shannon Schmoll, director of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University.
“It will almost be a darkening gradient happening from one side of the moon to the other. It’s not going to be a dramatic change to what we see on the moon,” Schmoll said. “But if you’re sitting there looking at it, you might notice some slight variations in brightness.”
The worm moon – named by Native American tribes in reference to the 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 to be full for the next few days .
However, the penumbral eclipse will only be visible to those on 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 a total solar eclipse that will cross Mexico, the United States and Canada on April 8. Lunar and solar eclipses always come in pairs because of the period when the sun, Earth and moon remain aligned, Schmoll said. . Although the moon will be completely caught in the shadow of the Earth during this penumbral eclipse, the next new lunar phase of the moon will allow the conditions required for a solar eclipse, when the moon will be between the sun and the Earth and therefore blocked forward the sun from view.
Eclipse Season
“Eclipse season” is the period of approximately 35 days that occurs every six months, near the equators, when a near-perfect alignment of the three celestial bodies necessary for eclipses occurs, according to NASA.
A lunar eclipse doesn’t happen 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, Schmoll said .
Although a partial eclipse is not as dramatic as a total lunar eclipse and the moon appears in an eerie red, no special equipment is required to view a lunar eclipse such as the viewing glasses required for a solar eclipse, Schmoll said, allowing of a lunar eclipse. to see with the naked eye.
“You just need to be outside with a clear view of the moon when it’s happening,” Schmoll added. “(Eclipses) are always a good excuse to get out and try to look at the sky and appreciate where we are in the universe, and what we can see from our planet.”
Solar and lunar eclipses
While the total solar eclipse on April 8 is the most anticipated of the four eclipse events that will occur in 2024, an 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 at its furthest point in its orbit from Earth, so it cannot completely block the sun. Instead, total solar eclipses create a “ring of fire” in the sky and the sun’s blazing light surrounds the moon’s shadow.
Meanwhile, a partial lunar eclipse, in which the Earth moves between the sun and the full moon without being perfectly aligned, will be visible across Europe and much of Asia, Africa, North and South America between 17 and 18 September.
Check the Time and Date website to find out when each of these eclipses will be visible.
More moons this year
Of the 12 full moons in 2024, the September and October lunar events will be considered supermoons, according to EarthSky.
Definitions of a supermoon can vary, but the term usually refers to a full moon that is closer to Earth than usual and appears larger and brighter in the night sky. Some astronomers say the phenomenon occurs when the moon is within 90% of perigee — the closest approach to Earth’s orbit.
Here are the remaining full moons of 2024:
• April 23: Pink moon
• May 23: Flower moon
• June 21: Strawberry Moon
• July 21: Buck moon
• August 19: Sturgeon moon
• September 17: Autumn moon
• October 17: Hunter’s moon
• November 15: Beaver Moon
• December 15: Cold moon
Meteor showers of 2024
Skygazers can look forward to many meteor showers this year, according to the American Meteor Society. Here are the expected dates for peak meteor events this year.
• Lyrids: 21-22 April
• Eta Aquariids: May 4-5
• Southern delta Aquariids: July 29-30
• Alpha Capricornids: July 30-31
• Perseids: 11-12 August
• Draconids: 7-8 October
• Orionids: 20-21 October
• Southern Taurids: November 4-5
• Northern Taurids: November 11-12
• Leonids: November 17-18
• Geminids: 13-14 December
• Ursids: 21-22 December
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