March full moon 2025: When, where and how to see the Worm Moon

The March full moon will reach peak illumination at 6:38 a.m. EST (1138 GMT) on March 3, when the sun and moon are opposite each other in Earth’s sky, making the lunar disk appear fully lit from our perspective.

This month’s full moon is known as the Worm Moon, possibly to reflect the period when the cold hardened ground softens, allowing earthworms to emerge and be feasted on by birds. The name may also have been coined by Native American tribes to describe the time when the bark of trees thawed to allow worm-like beetle larvae to escape and mature, according to the Old Farmers Almanac.

When to see the March full moon

The Worm Moon will loom large over the eastern horizon at sunset on March 2, shining below the stars of the constellation Leo, the Lion. You may notice the outline of the moon ripple and distort as its light passes through the densest part of Earth’s atmosphere, causing it to take on a yellow hue, before adopting an almost painfully bright silver sheen as it soars high in the winter sky.

The table below details local full moon timings for when the moon is 100% illuminated for a selection of cities spread across the globe (local moonset and moonrise times will vary based on your location):

Why it’s called the Worm Moon

The March moon is called the Worm Moon, in reference to the time when the ground softens to allow for the return of earthworms, or to reflect the emergence of beetle larvae after the thawing of tree bark in North America.

Native American tribes also refer to it as the Sugar Moon and Sap Moon, to evoke the period when maple sap oozes from the trees, while the English used to call it the Chaste Moon and the Death Moon, according to Time and Date.

Others have taken inspiration from birds who migrate with the shifting seasons to name it the Goose Moon and the Eagle Moon. The Native American Pueblo people also called it the Wind Strong Moon, owing to the powerful gusts that sweep the Northern Hemisphere in March, whereas other tribes know it as the Sore Eyes Moon, in reference to its impressive brightness as it rises high in the post-sunset sky.

The March full moon also coincides with the Hindu festival of Holika Dahan, when bonfires are lit to celebrate the god Vishnu and celebrate the victory of good over evil. The following day marks the major Hindu festival of Holi — the Festival of Colours —when devotees throw colorful paints and powders over one another to celebrate the beginning of Spring.

China’s traditional Lantern Festival is also set to be celebrated on March 3, when crowds gather to throw spectacular light shows to mark the end of the final day of Chinese New Year celebrations.

What else to see in the sky around the full moon

This year, the full moon coincides with a total lunar eclipse, sometimes called a “blood moon”, because Earth’s shadow can give the moon a reddish hue during totality. A total lunar eclipse happens when Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon and casts a dark shadow — the umbra — over the lunar surface. Phases of the eclipse will be visible across swathes of North America, East Asia, New Zealand and Australia.

The entirety of the lunar disk will slip into the deepest part of Earth’s shadow — known as its umbra — starting at 6:04 a.m. EST (1104 GMT). The period of totality will last for 58 minutes, during which time the moon will adopt a blood red hue as the light of every sunset and sunrise on Earth is refracted onto the lunar surface.

Viewers in America will bear witness to the initial phases of the eclipse as Earth’s shadow rolls left-to-right over the lunar surface and will glimpse the initial minutes of totality, before the moon sets out of sight below the horizon at dawn on March 3.

Look to the eastern horizon soon after sunset on March 3 to see Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo, shining blue-white roughly 20 degrees — the width of two stacked fists held at arm’s length — to the upper right of the fully lit lunar disk. During a full moon, the night sky is flooded with reflected moonlight, making only the brightest stars easy to discern with the naked eye.

Next, draw an imaginary line from the centre of the moon through Regulus and continue it out into space to find Jupiter high overhead, with its steady light giving it the appearance of a bright “evening star“. A small telescope (around 6inches) will help reveal the bands lining its ever-shifting cloud surface, along with the presence of its four largest “Galilean Moons“: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

Castor and Pollux — the brightest stars that represent the heads of the twins depicted in the constellation Gemini — will twinkle to the gas giant‘s left. Sweep your gaze downward to find the “dog stars” Procyon and Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, with the red, white and blue stars of the constellation Orion shining to their right.

Tear your eyes away from the moon and find a clear view of the west at sunset for a chance to see Venus glowing close to the horizon with Saturn 5 degrees — the approximate width of your three middle fingers held outstretched — to its upper left. Saturn and Venus will set around an hour and a half after the sun. Be sure to check Time and Date for the exact times that solar system bodies rise and set from your location and exercise extreme care to ensure that the sun is below the horizon before viewing an object in its vicinity with binoculars or a telescope.

Observing tips

The March full moon is an excellent opportunity to explore the lunar seas and bright ejecta rays of material cast out during cataclysmic impact events, as the entirety of Earth’s natural satellite is bathed in the light of the sun.

Why not also try to capture the moon using a DSLR camera and a telephoto lens and track how the shifting shadows alter its appearance throughout the month? Be sure to make use of our expert guide to photographing the moon, along with our picks of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography, if you want to upgrade your equipment.

Top tips to photograph the moon

• Use a tripod to keep your camera as steady as possible.
• Use a remote shutter/timer to prevent camera wobble.
• A smartphone stargazing app can help you find the exact point of moonrise on your local horizon.
• A lens with a focal length of 12-50 mm is useful for landscape photography, while a focal length of at least 400 mm is advised for capturing more detailed views of the lunar surface.
• The moon can be made to appear particularly large while close to the horizon next to foreground objects, where it may take on an orange-yellow appearance thanks to Rayleigh scattering. A cleaner, more “classic” view can be captured as it soars high overhead.

These times mark the exact instant of full illumination. Your own moonrise or moonset may be hours earlier or later, depending on your location. For the best viewing plan, use an app such as Stellarium or SkySafari 7 Pro to find your local moonrise time and be sure to read our full moon calendar for comprehensive timings for each full moon in 2026.

Editor’s Note: If you would like to share your full moon photos with Space.com’s readers, then please send your photo(s) along with your name, the location and any comments on what it was like to capture the picture to [email protected].