Look Up: Last Chance to see the ‘Worm Moon’

Keep your eyes to the sky Friday night, because according to the Farmer’s Almanac, a Full Worm Moon is here. Don’t worry, worms won’t be falling from the sky, and to be quite honest, they have nothing to do with this peculiar name for a lunar event.

"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," the almanac states.

The Farmer’s Almanac thought, for many years, the name referred to earthworms that begin to appear in the spring. The early birds get the worm, a true sign that spring is coming.

However, it turns out the name originated from Captain Jonathan Carver, who chose the word “worm” in reference to beetle larvae, which begin to emerge around this time of year.

The Worm Moon will be visible for a second consecutive night Friday, and though it reached peak illumination at 3:20 a.m. Friday morning, it'll be around in the evening as well.

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With rain in the forecast Thursday, the buzz was that a rare "moonbow" would be visible. (Let us know if you saw one.)

“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,” said the almanac. “Moonbows only happen when the full Moon is fairly low in the sky.”

For Friday, the Worm Moon will rise on the SouthCoast at 7:26 am and fall at 7:19 am, giving you plenty of time to look up and enjoy nature’s work.