Full supermoon in March 2021: when will you see the ‘Worm’ moon

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This will be the first supermoon of the year, meaning that the moon is slightly closer to Earth and therefore appears larger and brighter in the sky. The Worm supermoon is the fourth brightest moon in 2021, according to Earth Sky.

In the Hindu month of Phalguna, this month’s moon marks the Holi festival, according to NASA, which celebrates the onset of spring.

The Indian tribes in the south call the full moon of March the worm moon because of the worm waste, soil that the worms digest becomes visible as the ground thaws.

According to the Western Washington University Planetarium website, other Native American tribes have different names for the March full moon that still refer to animals.

The Algonquin tribe northeast of the Great Lakes calls the March full moon ‘namossack kesos’ or ‘fishing’. In the northern plains of Canada, the Cree tribe calls it “migisupizum” or “Eagle moon”.

Typically for a normal year, 2021 will also have 12 full moons. (Last year there were 13 full moons, two of which were in October.)

Here are all of the remaining full moons this year and their names, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac:

April 26 – Pink moon

May 26 – Flower moon

June 24 – Strawberry Moon

July 23 – Buck moon

August 22 – Sturgeon moon

September 20 – Harvest Moon

October 20 – Hunter’s moon

November 19 – Beaver moon

December 18 – Cold Moon

Also check the other names of these moons attributed to the different Indian tribes.

This is what you can look forward to even more in 2021.

Meteor showers

It will take a while for the next meteor shower, the popular Lyrids, in April. The Lyrids will peak on April 22 and will be best seen in the Northern Hemisphere, but the moon will be 68% full, according to the American Meteor Society. This can make the meteor shower less visible.

The Eta Aquariids follow shortly after, peaking on May 5, when the moon is 38% full. This shower is best seen in the southern tropics, but will still produce a moderate shower for those north of the equator.

The Milky Way is seen from the Glacier Point Trailside in Yosemite National Park, California.

The Delta Aquariids are also best seen from the southern tropics and will peak between July 28-29, when the moon is 74% full.

Interestingly, another meteor shower peaks on the same night – the Alpha Capricornids. While this is a much weaker shower, it has been known to produce some bright fireballs during the peak. It will be visible to those on either side of the equator.

The Perseid meteor shower, the most popular of the year, peaks between August 11 and 12 in the Northern Hemisphere, when the moon is only 13% full.

Here’s the meteor shower schedule for the rest of the year, according to EarthSky’s meteor shower forecast.
  • October 8: Draconids
  • October 21: Orionids
  • November 4 to 5: South Taurids
  • November 11 to 12: North Taurids
  • November 17: Leonids
  • December 13 to 14: Geminids
  • December 22: Ursids

Solar and lunar eclipses

This year, there will be two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses – and three of them will be visible to some in North America, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

A total lunar eclipse will occur on May 26, best visible to those in western North America and Hawaii from 4:46 ET to 9:51 ET.

An annular eclipse will occur on June 10, visible in northern and northeastern North America from 4:12 a.m. ET to 9:11 a.m. ET. The sun is not completely blocked by the moon, so wear eclipse glasses to view this event safely.

A partial lunar eclipse will be seen on Nov. 19, and skywatchers in North America and Hawaii will be able to see it between 1 a.m. ET and 7.06 a.m. ET.

And the year ends with a total solar eclipse on December 4. It won’t be seen in North America, but those in the Falkland Islands, the southern tip of Africa, Antarctica and Southeast Australia will be able to see it.

Visible planets

According to planetary guide Farmer’s Almanac, Skywatchers will have multiple opportunities to spot the planets in our sky during certain mornings and evenings in 2021.

It is possible to see most of this with the naked eye, with the exception of the distant Neptune, but binoculars or a telescope will give the best view.

Mercury appears as 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 twilight from May 24 to December 31. It is the second brightest object in our sky, after the moon.

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Mars will appear in the morning sky between November 24 and December 31 and will be visible in the evening sky between January 1 and August 22.

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is the third brightest object in our sky. It will be visible in the morning sky between February 17 and August 19. Look forward to the evenings from August 20 to December 31 – but it will be brightest from August 8 to September 2.

Saturn’s rings are only visible through a telescope, but the planet itself can still be seen with the naked eye on the mornings of February 10 to August 1 and the evenings from August 2 to December 31. It will be at its brightest between August 1 and August 1. 4.

Binoculars or a telescope will help you spot the greenish glow of Uranus on the mornings from May 16 to November 3 and the evenings from January 1 to April 12 and November 4 to December 31 – but brightest between August 28 and December 31 .

And our furthest neighbor in the solar system, Neptune, will be visible through a telescope on the mornings from March 27 to September 13 and in the evenings from September 14 to December 31. It will be at its brightest between July 19 and November 8.

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