Special celestial treat

Photo: Martin Weilmeier

Ever heard of a worm moon? How about a sap moon?

Turns out you can see one tonight – and it will coincide with the official start of spring.

The third and final super moon of 2019 coincides with the first day of spring for the first time in almost 20 years.
 
Spring officially begins in the northern hemisphere early Wednesday evening at 5:58 p.m. Eastern Time. Just four hours later, you'll also be able to watch a stunning celestial phenomenon as the spring super moon reaches fullness in the night sky.

According to “The Old Farmer’s Almanac,” this full moon is also called the “worm moon,” or "sap moon" in the northern hemisphere because of the way the ground begins to soften, allowing earthworms to appear and inviting the return of robins and other spring birds.

This is the last super moon until February 2020. A super moon doesn't necessarily look bigger to the human eye – except when it looms near the horizon – but it does tend to appear brighter. In fact, it can appear as much as 30 per cent brighter than normal.

The term “super moon” was coined in 1979 and is often used today to describe what astronomers would call a perigean full moon, a full moon occurring near or at the time when the moon is at its closest point in its orbit around Earth.