The full Worm “Blood” Moon reaches its peak in the morning hours of Friday, March 14. What is a Worm Moon? What is a Blood 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 Worm Moon in March 2025
Specifically, March’s full Worm “Blood” Moon reaches peak illumination at 2:55 A.M. ET on Friday, March 14, 2025.
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 Thursday evening. If your weather is poor on Thursday night, try again on Friday!
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,” which is when it looks bigger when near comparative objects than it does when it’s high in the sky without any references.
2025 March Lunar Eclipse: The Blood Moon
However, this is more than just another full Moon! There is also going to be a Total Lunar Eclipse, also known as a Blood Moon. During a lunar eclipse, the Sun, Moon, and Earth all align so that the Earth comes in between the Moon and Sun. This means that the Earth will cast a shadow over the Moon (also known as the umbra). When the Moon is in the umbra of the Earth, the Earth casts a reddish shadow, hence the name Blood Moon.
This lunar eclipse is visible from all of North America. The Moon will enter the penumbra at 11:56 P.M. EDT (8:56 P.M. PDT) on March 13 and the umbra at 1:09 A.M. EDT on March 14 (10:09 P.M. PDT, March 13). It will leave the umbra at 4:48 A.M. EDT (1:48 A.M. PDT) on March 14 and the penumbra at 6:02 A.M. EDT (3:02 A.M. PDT).
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, Captain Jonathan Carver visited the Naudowessie (Dakota) and other Native American tribes and wrote that the name Worm Moon refers to a different sort of “worm”—beetle larvae—which begin to emerge from the thawing bark of trees and other winter hideouts at this time.
Alternative March Moon Names
There are quite a few names for the March Moon that speak to the transition from winter to spring. Some refer to the appearance (or reappearance) of certain animals, such as the Eagle Moon, Goose Moon (Algonquin, Cree), or Crow Comes Back Moon (Northern Ojibwe), while others refer to signs of the season:
- The Sugar Moon (Ojibwe) marks the time of year when the sap of sugar maples starts to flow.
- The Wind Strong Moon (Pueblo) refers to the strong, windy days that come at this time of year.
- The Sore Eyes Moon (Dakota, Lakota, Assiniboine) highlights the blinding rays of sunlight that reflect off the melting snow of late winter.
Source: Catherine Boeckmann, The Old Farmer’s Almanac
Photo Credit: space.com
