Spring Equinox, Supermoon, Worm Moon: Wednesday, astronomical entertainment

We have a double astronomical action program on Wednesday: The spring equinox, which marks the beginning of spring, as well as the last "super-moon" of the year.

Both will take place on Wednesday: The equinox at 5:58 pm EDT and the full moon less than four hours later at 9:43 pm. EDT, reports EarthSky.

The equinox is the precise moment when the sun's rays shine directly on the equator.

It is one of two days of the year – the other being the autumn equinox in September – when the axis of the Earth n & # 39; 39 is not inclined towards the sun, resulting in about 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness almost everywhere on Earth.

It is therefore an "equal night", hence the word equinox was created: the two Latin words equals (equal) and nox (night), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Every day for the next three months, the sun will continue to rise higher in the sky – and the amount of daylight longer – until the summer solstice of June.

It is also one of only two days of the year when almost all the places on the planet, with the exception of the poles, are experiencing a sunrise in the east. and a sunset in the west.

Meteorologists, who define seasons differently, said that spring began March 1st.

And for the inhabitants of the southern hemisphere, the autumn equinox will be held on Wednesday, marking the first day of autumn.

Supermoon, full moon and worm

Wednesday will also mark the third – and last – supermoon of 2019, when the Moon will approach the Earth a few thousand kilometers as usual, EarthSky said. The moon will look the most spectacular when it appears above the eastern horizon late Wednesday afternoon, even if the moon is full exactly a few hours later.

It will also be very beautiful on Tuesdays and Thursday evenings. It seems particularly vast for us when it is near the horizon because of the "moon illusion", when it seems bigger there than when it is high in the sky.

When the moon is significantly closer to the Earth than the average, it is called super-moon. On Wednesday night, our moon will be "only" 224 173 km from Earth, or 14,000 miles below average, EarthSky announced.

The proximity of the Moon to the Earth, of course, gives it an extremely close and very bright appearance – up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than a full moon at its farthest point from the Earth, said NASA.

More: Heads up, earthlings: 5 reasons why you should pay attention to space this year

The distance from the moon to the Earth changes because its orbit is not a circle. When the moon is closest to Earth, astronomers call it "perigee," said Hanneke Weitering of Space.com. And when the full moon coincides with the perigee, you have a great moon.

Larger and brighter than a typical moon, the term "supermoon" was coined in 1979 by the astrologer Richard Nolle. It has become an increasingly popular and media-friendly term in the decades that followed.

The Full Moon is also known as the Worm's Moon: for millennia, people around the world, including the Amerindians of the eastern and central United States, have named the months in reference to the signals of the nature. According to the almanac of the old farmers, each full moon has its own name.

"The tribes have followed the seasons by giving distinctive names to each full moon that is repeated," said the almanac. "Their names were applied to the whole month in which each one occurred."

This full moon is called the moonworm because in cold climates, the ground begins to melt and earthworms appear.

Enjoy our Wednesday double schedule: It's the closest coincidence of a full moon with the spring equinox since March 2000 – 19 years ago. And in the future, the equinox of the full moon and the spring equinox will no longer occur unless an interval day before 11 years, or up to 39 in March 2030, said EarthSky.

Contribute: Anne Ryman, The Republic of Arizona

Read or share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/03/18/spring-equinox-super-moon-worm-moon-astronomy-fun-wednesday/3201993002/