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According to some reports, it's a super moon.
The full moon of March, dubbed a "supermoon" by
others, will dazzle skywatchers this Sunday (March 28), as the warm weather of
spring encourages more people to venture outdoors to gaze upward.
According to NASA, the full moon lasts just a fraction of a
second, but devoted moon watchers will catch it at 2:48 p.m. EDT (18:48 UTC) on
Sunday, as the moon appears opposite the sun in Earth-based longitude. People
who miss this brief glimpse of the moon will still be able to see a big, round
moon for three days, from Saturday morning (March 27) to early Tuesday morning
(March 30). (March 30).
And, although it may be difficult to say, the moon in March
is considered a supermoon by some, depending on how you define
"supermoon." This term was invented by astrologer Richard Nolle in
1979 to describe a new or full moon that is within 90 percent of perigee, the
point at which the moon is closest to Earth. According to NASA, some predict
four full supermoons in 2021 (from March to June), while others predict three
supermoons (from April to June), others claim that there will only be two
absolute supermoons in their lifetime (in April and May).
So, who will be the "superior" moon? The full
moons in April and May are nearly tied as the years nearest full moons,
according to NASA. The full moon on May 26, 2021, will be 0.04 percent closer
to Earth than the full moon on April 26, 2021, but only by that much.
These invasive earthworms wriggle around until the snowpack
melts in the spring.
March's moon is also known as the Crow, Crust, Sap, and
Sugar Moon. According to the Maine Farmer's Almanac, the Crow Moon was named
for the cawing of crows that marked the end of winter, while other tribes
called it the Crust Moon after the crust of snow that freezes at night, or the
Sap or Sugar Moon because early spring is when maple trees are tapped.
Meanwhile, on the Hebrew calendar, this full moon occurs in
the middle of the month of Nisan, which is associated with the commemoration of
Passover (or Pesach), a biblical festival commemorating the Jewish people's
exodus from Egypt. Passover begins at sundown on March 27 and ends at nightfall
on April 4 this year.
This moon is regarded as the Paschal Moon in the western
Christian ecclesiastical calendar, and it is crucial in deciding the date of
Easter. The word "Paschal" is a Latinized form of the Hebrew word
"Pesach." Easter is usually observed on the first Sunday after the
first full moon of the spring season. Owing to variations in the Eastern and
Western church calendars, Easter will be observed on two separate days this
year: April 4 for Western Christianity, which considers March's moon to be the
first full moon of spring, and May 2 for the Eastern Orthodox Church, which
considers the next full moon to be the Paschal Moon, according to NASA.
This full moon coincides with the Hindu festival of colors,
Holi, which commemorates the victory of good over evil as well as the start of
spring. Holi falls on March 29 this year. This full moon is known in Sri Lanka
as Medin or Madin Poya, and it marks the Buddha's first encounter with his
father after enlightenment, according to NASA. This full moon comes in the
middle of the month Sha'ban, the month preceding Ramadan, for Muslims.
Unless cloudy skies hinder it, skywatchers would be able to
see other celestial phenomena. Mars will be the only visible planet after
nightfall on Sunday, the day of the full moon. NASA suggested searching for it
on the western horizon.
Tune in to the Virtual Telescope Project for a livestream of
the Worm Moon, which will reveal the full moon rising over Rome.
This article was first published on Live Science.
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