March's full moon ahead. How to see it in Florida and what to know about the blood moon
A bloody worm moon is headed our way? Sort of.
This week's full moon will be extra special and spooky — a total lunar eclipse will take place on Thursday, turning the moon orange-red.
Wondering when you can see this cosmic show take place from Florida? Here's what to know.
The worm moon will arrive on Friday, March 14.
March's full Moon is known as the Worm Moon.
According to the Farmer's Almanac, many believed this name referred to the earthworms that appear as the soil warms in 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." the Almanac shares.
Other names for the full moon include:
Eagle Moon, Goose Moon (Algonquin, Cree)
Crow Comes Back Moon (Northern Ojibwe)
Sugar Moon (Ojibwe)
Wind Strong Moon (Pueblo)
Sore Eyes Moon (Dakota, Lakota, Assiniboine)
There will be a total solar eclipse on Thursday in which the entire moon falls within the umbra, the darkest part of Earth's shadow. This causes the moon to appear with a red-orange hue
Lunar eclipses are often called "blood moons" because a red hue can be produced when the Earth's shadow covers the moon. The coloration happens because any sunlight not blocked by Earth is filtered through a thick slice of Earth's atmosphere as it approaches the lunar surface, according to NASA.
"It's as if all the world's sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the Moon," NASA explains on its website.
For most of Florida, March's full moon will reach peak illumination at 1:55 a.m. ET on Friday, March 14. Those in Panhandle can see its peak at 12:57 a.m. CT.
The moon's phases in March are:
First Quarter: March 6
Full Moon: March 14
Last Quarter: March 22
New Moon: March 29
The upcoming total lunar eclipse will occur close to midnight on Thursday, March 13, and into the early morning hours of Friday, March 14.
Weather permitting, the eclipse will be visible not only across Florida but all of North America, but also in South America, western parts of Europe and Africa.
If you live in the U.S., the eclipse should begin around 11:57 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 13, reach totality around 2:30 a.m. EST and complete the process around 6 a.m. EST Friday, March 14.
For Floridians, the time will differ between the two time zones in the state. The Panhandle can expect to see the lunar eclipse around midnight CDT on March 14. The Florida Peninsula can expect to see the lunar eclipse start about 1 a.m. EDT.
Following the Worm Moon this month, these are the remaining full moons this year, according to the Farmer's Almanac:
Pink Moon: April 12, 2025
Flower Moon: May 12, 2025
Strawberry Moon: June 11, 2025
Buck Moon: July 10, 2025
Sturgeon Moon: Aug. 9, 2025
Corn Moon: Sept. 7, 2025
Harvest Moon: Oct. 6, 2025
Beaver Moon: Nov. 5, 2025
Cold Moon: Dec. 4, 2025
There will be three supermoons in 2025, but you'll have to wait until the end of the year to see them.
Supermoons for 2025 will occur on:
Monday, Oct. 6: 11:48 p.m., Hunter's Moon
Wednesday, Nov. 5: 8:19 a.m., Beaver Moon
Thursday, Dec. 4: 6:14 p.m., Cold Moon
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Full moon in Florida will turn red thanks to total lunar eclipse
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