Worm Moon: Full Moon for March 2023

The full Worm Moon reaches its peak in the morning hours of Tuesday, March 7. Look for it to rise after sunset on both Monday and Tuesday! What is a Worm Moon? Here are the real meaning and origins of March’s full Moon—and when you can see this Moon at its brightest!

When to See the Full Moon in March 2023

The final full moon of the winter season will appear on the nights of Monday, March 6, and Tuesday, March 7. Specifically, March’s full Worm Moon reaches peak illumination at 7:42 A.M. ET on Tuesday, March 7, 2023.

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 Monday evening. If your weather is poor on Monday night, try again on Tuesday! See when the Moon will be visible in your area.

If you have just a bit of rain on either of these nights, you may even get to spot a rare phenomenon called a moonbow. A moonbow is just like a solar rainbow, but is created by moonlight (rather than sunlight) when it is refracted through water droplets in the air. Moonbows only happen when the full Moon is fairly low in the sky, so look for one in the hours after sunset when the sky is dark. Learn more about moonbows here!

This March Moon will look especially large to us when it’s near the horizon because of the “Moon illusion,” when it looks bigger when near comparative objects than it does when it’s high in the sky without any references.

Why Is It Called the Worm Moon?

The full Moon names used by The Old Farmer’s Almanac come from a number of places, including Native American, Colonial American, and European sources. Traditionally, each full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, not only to the full Moon.

The Surprising Truth Behind the Worm Moon Name

March’s full Moon goes by the name Worm Moon. For many years, we thought this name referred to the earthworms that appear as the soil warms in spring. This invites robins and other birds to feed—a true sign of spring!

However, more research revealed another explanation. In the 1760s, click here to read the rest of this article