Friday, March 14, 2025

Full Crow Moon and Total Lunar Eclipse

The moon will reach its full phase on Friday, March 14 at 2:55 a.m. EDT or 06:55 UT, which converts to 11:55 p.m. PDT on Thursday, March 13. To a casual glance, the moon will appear full on both Thursday and Friday night. The March full moon, known as the Worm Moon, Crow Moon, Sap Moon or Lenten Moon, always shines in or near the stars of Leo or Virgo. The indigenous Ojibwe people of the Great Lakes region call this full moon Ziissbaakdoke-giizis "Sugar Moon"
or Onaabani-giizis, the "Hard Crust on the Snow Moon". For them it signifies a time to balance their lives and to celebrate the new year. The Cree of North America call it Mikisiwipisim, the "the Eagle Moon" - the month when the eagle returns. The Cherokee call it Anvyi, the "Windy Moon", when the planting cycle begins anew. This full moon will pass directly through the Earth's umbral shadow, producing a total lunar eclipse visible across the Americas and a partial eclipse in the Pacific and western Europe and Africa regions. The
lower left (southwestern) rim of the full moon will start its trip through the weaker penumbral shadow at 11:57 p.m. EDT on Thursday (03:57 UT), very
slightly darkening it. The first "bite" out the moon will appear when it contacts the central umbra at 1:09 a.m. EDT (05:09 UT). It will be fully darkened into a reddened, so-called "Blood Moon" from 2:26 to 3:32 a.m. EDT (06:26 to 07:32 UT). The moon will finally move clear of the Earth's umbral shadow at the final "bite" time of 4:48 a.m. EDT (8:48 UT) on Friday morning. Lunar eclipses are completely safe to view and photograph without filters.
This lunar eclipse will be followed two weeks later by a partial solar eclipse on March 29.

(Data courtesy of Starry Night)
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