Worm Moon May Create a Rare Moonbow in the Night Skies

Posted: March 17, 2022 10:49 am

How You Can Search for the Rare Moonbow on Thursday

A full moon may deliver a perfectly themed rainbow for St. Patrick’s Day this year if the weather conditions are right.

St. Patrick’s Day and Rainbows

While rainbows can appear in the sky at any time of the year, these colorful arcs are most often associated with the spring. The St. Patrick’s Day holiday is also tied to the rainbow, one of the symbols that represents this fun Irish tradition.

A rainbow is created when light meets water droplets that are suspended in the air. The droplets become a prism that works to scatter the light rays, forming the colorful arc that most people know as a rainbow. Because of the necessary ingredient of light, rainbows are more likely to appear during the daylight hours. However, these colors can also form from the light of a moon if it is bright enough, forming what is known as a moonbow.

Thursday’s Full Moon

With spring officially kicking off in the Northern Hemisphere on Sunday morning, the Thursday full moon is the last of its kind during the astronomical winter. Every full moon features a host of fun nicknames that represent its history or the time of the year that makes an appearance.

The most common nickname for Thursday’s full moon is related to dramatic weather changes that the Northern Hemisphere sees during this transition from winter to spring. Known as the Worm Moon, the March full moon name represents the reappearance of earthworms as the ground begins to thaw in the spring following the cold winter.

Other nicknames associated with the March full moon include the Sugar Moon, the Edge Moon, the Goose Moon, and the Wind Strong Moon.

The Worm Moon will begin to shine in the eastern half of the nation on Thursday, March 17. As the night progresses, the moon will move to the west, eventually setting at about the time the sun comes up on Friday, March 18.

Chasing that Moonbow

Because they are so rare, it can be challenging to spot a moonbow. Your best bet is to park yourself near a waterfall so that the light coming from the moon has the chance to catch the mist that comes off the waterfall. You will also need a clear sky in order to catch a moonbow. This is because the moonbow will not have a chance to form if the light from the moon is blocked by clouds in the sky.

While You are Looking for the Moonbow

The moonbow will not be the only celestial wonder to search for in the night skies on Thursday. If you decide to try to catch a moonbow or the Worm Moon, be sure to seek out the Sirius star and the Orion constellation.

Both Orion and Sirius will shine in the night skies over the next few weeks. These objects migrate to the same area of the sky as the sun during the summer months, blocking the view from Earth. Orion and Sirius will not be visible again until the beginning of fall when the Earth is farther from the sun

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