JACKSON, Wyo. — Skywatchers are in for a treat in just a matter of hours: A total lunar eclipse is expected to take place in the wee hours of Tuesday, March 3.
The full moon will reach peak illumination around 4:40 a.m., coinciding with the eclipse, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. A similar concurrence was visible last March.
According to NASA, the eclipse is the result of the alignment of the sun, earth and moon, wherein the moon will pass into the earth’s shadow. When the moon is positioned in the darkest part of the earth’s shadow, called the umbra, it will appear reddish-orange in color, hence the “Blood Moon” moniker. The moon will appear reddened by sunlight filtered through the earth’s atmosphere, according to the agency.
Here in Jackson, totality is likely to begin around 4 a.m. and last for approximately an hour.
NASA notes that there will be much to see in the night sky surrounding the eclipse event.
“As Earth’s shadow dims the lunar surface, constellations may be easier to spot than they usually are during a full moon,” NASA advises on its website. “At the time of the eclipse, the Moon will be in the constellation Leo, under the lion’s hind paws. ”
March’s full moon is known historically as the “Worm Moon,” according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, a nickname related to the anticipation of spring. But the kind of worm referred to by the nickname might come as a surprise.
“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,” says the Almanac.
Other names for the March full moon also refer to the transition of seasons, per the Almanac. Ojibwe refer to the March full moon as the “Sugar Moon,” marking the time of year when the sap of sugar maples starts to flow. The “Wind Strong Moon” is the Pueblo name for the March full moon.
The “Sore Eyes Moon” is the Dakota, Lakota and Assiniboine name for the March full moon, and it rings true here in Jackson, at least during most winters. The name is a reference to the blinding sunlight that reflects off of the snow at this time of year.
Other March full moon names include the “Eagle Moon” and the “Goose Moon,” (Anicinàpe /Algonquin and Nehiyawiyiniw/Cree) and the “Crow Comes Back Moon” (Northern Ojibwe), all references to the reappearance of animals during the transition of winter to spring.
