March full moon is the Worm Moon

The first full moon of the spring season will appear on the nights of Sunday, March 24, and Monday, March 25. Specifically, March’s full Worm Moon reaches peak illumination at 3:00 A.M. ET on Monday, March 25, 2024.

Of course, you don’t have to wait until the middle of the night to see the Moon! Look for the spectacularly bright Moon as it rises above the horizon on Sunday evening. If your weather is poor on Sunday night, try again on Monday! 

There’s a penumbral lunar eclipse on March 24-24: Look for a penumbral eclipse beginning at 11:53 p.m. CDT on March 24 (4:53 UTC on March 25). It reaches mid-eclipse at 2:12 a.m. CDT on March 25 (7:12 UTC). The event ends at 4:33 a.m. CDT (9:33 UTC). At mid-eclipse the moon will be noticeably less bright. There will be a subtle shading on the moon: Earth’s lighter outer penumbral shadow.

Night owls will see the March full moon slide into a partial penumbral eclipse on March 25 beginning at 4:53 UTC. That is 11:53 p.m. CDT on March 24. It reaches mid-eclipse at 2:12 a.m. CDT and the event ends at 4:33 a.m. CDT. At mid-eclipse the moon’s brightness will have dimmed, but it will still be easily visible. From the moon’s point of view, Earth does not completely block the sun during a penumbral eclipse as would happen during a total umbral lunar eclipse.