The Supermoon On Monday Is Called A Worm Moon & It Means Spring Is Coming
If you look up to the stars on Monday you'll be able to spot something big and bright — that is if it's not cloudy. The March supermoon 2020 will light up the night sky and it's also known as a worm moon. That's a sign that spring is on its way!
On March 9, you can spot the supermoon throughout the night across Canada after it reaches its peak fullness during the day.
According to Forbes, this celestial object will be 7.5% closer to the Earth than average so it'll look bigger than usual.
If you look at the moon when it rises around the time of sunset, it'll seem even bigger because you'll be comparing it to whatever else you can see on the horizon.
This full moon also has another special name associated with it, as it does each month.
For March, it's known as a "worm moon" because earthworms tend to come out their winter dormancy during this time which is a sign that spring is coming.
While this won't be the closest supermoon of the year, it's still pretty amazing to see, especially when the moon is rising up into the night sky.
Hopefully the weather cooperates, and clouds don't get in the way of the spectacular sight.
You'll want to clear some time in your schedule for viewing this wormy wonder.
Earth's natural satellite rises at 7:20 p.m. in Vancouver, 7:45 p.m. in Whitehorse, 7:33 in Edmonton, 7:00 p.m. in Regina, 7:21 p.m. in Yellowknife, 7:39 p.m. in Winnipeg, and at 6:00 p.m. in Iqaluit.
In the east, it rises at 7:21 p.m. in Toronto, 6:45 p.m. in Montreal, 7:24 p.m. in Fredericton, 7:09 p.m. in Charlottetown, 7:13 p.m. in Halifax, and 6:53 p.m. in St. John's.
If you get up early on March 9, you can also see the supermoon sink down in the west, before it reaches fullness during the day, and turn around to see Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and Mercury in the east.
The planets will appear close together with Mercury the lowest, just along the horizon.
Still, the best time for viewing the fullness of the celestial orb is at sunset that day.
After this one, there are two more supermoons in 2020.
The April 8 supermoon will be the best and brightest because the moon will be closer to Earth than during any other full moon during the year, according to EarthSky.
While you might need binoculars to see Mercury along the horizon early on March 9, you definitely won't need any special equipment to see the supermoon that night.
