New York State can prepare to see the final full moon of the Winter season tonight.

We may look towards the sky and be able to see thousands of stars but those same stars are thousands upon thousands of lightyears away.

Full Moon
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This fascination with the night sky by so many people also leads to celestial events being quite popular and one particular event is occurring tonight. Tonight, the final Full Moon of the Winter season will illuminate the night sky. Like every Full Moon, this one has a very particular name. Tonight's Full Moon is called the "Worm" Moon.

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Why is this Full Moon called the "Worm" Moon?

The terminology for the "Full Worm Moon" actually has origins dating back to the 18th century (the 1700s). Native American tribes referred to this particular Full Moon as the "Full Worm Moon" not only because it was the final full moon of Winter but because it would be around this time that numerous creatures would awaken from their Winter slumbers and welcome the new Spring season.

Full Moon
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You see it's not just bears that go away to hibernate during the winter, it's also other animals like bats, squirrels and you guessed it, plenty of insects as well.

Some of these hibernating insects would be worms, or in this case earthworms. When Spring comes around and the ground soil becomes soft, earthworms begin to rise up out of the ground. When these worms rise, it signals a feeding frenzy time for numerous birds that have also migrated back to the area.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/Youtube
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/Youtube
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This particular Full Moon also has many other nicknames such as the...

Snowshoe Breaking Moon, Goose Moon, Crow Moon and Wind Moon...

The point of the matter remains, this moon signifies the coming of Spring.

Winter Super Moon
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What Other Celestial Events Are Set for Spring 2023?

As it is every year, numerous other celestial events are set to take place throughout 2023. For starters, while tonight's Full Worm Moon is rising in the east, if one were to turn around and look towards the sky in the west, one should be able to see the planets, Venus and Jupiter. Venus will be above Jupiter and will actually appear to look larger than Jupiter. As the month of March continues, both planets will get further and further away from one another.

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Later during the spring, we will be able to see our first meteor shower of 2023. The Lyrids meteor shower will occur approximately between the week of April 16-25, with its peak occurring on April 22. This meteor shower is associated with a comet by the name of "Thatcher" which orbits the Earth every 415.5 years. The last time "Thatcher" orbited Earth was back in 1861.

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In the month of May, we will be set to see another meteor shower event. This one is called the Eta Aquarids meteor shower. This meteor shower when it reaches its peak will produce an astonishing 60 meteors per hour. Visibility may be difficult though as this shower will coincide with the full moon for the month of May.

Eclipse Pink Floyd
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Many other celestial events are set to occur throughout the remainder of the year. More meteor showers, full moons, a few Super Moons as well as an eclipse are all set to take place. Each event is just as grand as the next. Each event reminds us, just how amazing and vast the universe truly is.

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