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The Worm Moon (“Worm Moon”) will shine in the sky this Sunday (28). NASA (North American Space Agency) reported that the moon will be full at 2:48 pm ET (3:48 pm ET).
This will be the first supermoon of the year, which means that the moon is a little closer to Earth and therefore looks bigger and brighter in the sky. According to Earth Sky, the worm moon is the fourth brightest in 2021.
In the Hindu month of Phalguna, this month’s moon marks the Holi Festival, which celebrates the beginning of spring.
Native American tribes in the south call it the Earthworm Moon because the earth rolls that earthworms digest and leave behind become visible as the soil melts.
Other Native American tribes have different names for the full moon in March, which also relate to animals, according to the Western Washington University Planetarium.
The Algonquin tribe, northeast of the Great Lakes, calls the March full moon “Fishing”. On the plains of northern Canada, the Cree tribe calls it the “Eagle’s Moon”.
Typical of a normal year, 2021 will also have 12 full moons (last year it had 13 full moons, two of which were in October).
Here are all the remaining full moons this year and their names, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac:
April 26: Pink Moon
May 26: Moon of Flowers
June 24: Strawberry Moon
July 23: Thunder Moon
August 22: Moon of Sturgeon (a type of fish)
September 20: Harvest Moon
October 20: Hunter’s Moon
November 19: Beaver Moon
December 18: Cold Moon
Check out the other names of these moons, attributed to the different Native American tribes.
Here’s what else you can expect in 2021.
Meteor showers
There is a short wait until the next meteor shower, the popular Lyrids, in April. The Lyrids will peak on the 22nd of next month and will be better seen in the Northern Hemisphere – but the moon will be 68% full, according to the American Meteor Society. This can make meteor showers less visible.
The Eta Aquariids follow shortly thereafter, peaking on May 5, when the moon is 38% full. This rain is best seen in the southern tropics, but it will still produce average rainfall for those north of Ecuador.
Delta Aquariids are also best seen in the southern tropics and will peak between 28 and 29 July, when the moon is 74% full.
Interestingly, another meteor shower peaks on the same night – the Alpha Capricorns. Although it is much less rain, it is known to produce some bright fireballs during the peak. It will be visible to those who are on both sides of Ecuador.
The Perseid meteor shower, the most popular of the year, will peak between August 11 and 12 in the Northern Hemisphere, when the moon is only 13% full.
Here is the meteor shower schedule for the rest of the year, according to the forecast of the Earth Sky.
October 8: Draconids
October 21: Orionidas
November 4th to 5th: Southern Taurids
November 11 to 12: Northern Taurids
November 17: Leonidas
December 13th to 14th: Geminids
December 22: Ursids
Solar and lunar eclipses
This year, there will be two eclipses of the sun and two eclipses of the moon. Three of them will be visible to some countries in North America, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
A total eclipse of the moon will occur on May 26, best visible to those in western North America and Hawaii from 4:46 am ET to 9:51 am ET (5:46 am to 10:51 am ET).
An annular eclipse of the sun will take place on June 10, visible in the north and northeast of North America from 4:12 am ET to 9:11 am ET (5:12 am to 10:11 am, Brasília time). The sun will not be completely blocked by the moon, so be sure to wear eclipse glasses to safely follow this event.
On November 19, there will be a partial eclipse of the moon, and sky watchers in North America and Hawaii will be able to see it between 1:00 am and 7:06 am ET (2:00 am and 8:06 am GMT).
And the year ends with a total eclipse of the sun on December 4th. It will not be seen in North America, but the Falkland Islands, the far south of Africa, Antarctica and southeastern Australia will be able to see it.
Visible planets
Sky watchers will have multiple opportunities to locate the planets during certain mornings and nights throughout 2021, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.
Most of them can be seen with the naked eye, with the exception of distant Neptune, but binoculars or a telescope will provide the best view.
Mercury will look like a bright star in the morning sky from June 27 to July 16 and from October 18 to November 1. It will shine in the night sky from May 3 to May 24, August 31 to September 21 and November 29 to December 31.
Venus, our closest neighbor in the Solar System, will appear in the western sky at dusk on the nights of May 24 to December 31. It is the second brightest object in our sky after the moon.
Mars makes its reddish appearance in the morning sky between November 24th and December 31st and will be visible in the night sky between January 1st and August 22nd.
Jupiter, the largest planet in our Solar System, is the third brightest object in our sky. It will be on display in the morning sky between 17 February and 19 August. Look for it on the nights of August 20 to December 31 – but it will be clearer from August 8 to September 2.
Saturn’s rings are visible only through a telescope, but the planet itself can still be seen with the naked eye in the mornings from February 10 to August 1 and in the nights from August 2 to December 31. It will be at its peak between the 1st and the 4th of August.
Binoculars or a telescope will help you detect the greenish glow of Uranus on the mornings of May 16 to November 3 and on the nights of January 1 to April 12 and November 4 to December 31 – but with greater intensity between 28 August and December 31st.
And our most distant neighbor in the Solar System, Neptune will be visible through a telescope in the mornings from March 27 to September 13 and in the nights from September 14 to December 31. It will be at its brightest between July 19th and November 8th.
Translated text, click here to read the original.
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