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Worm Moon of March
"Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth."
~ Buddha
This moon-coloured tartan was created to celebrate mankind's return to the moon, from the first lunar landing by Apollo 11 in 1969 until the crew of Apollo 17 set the last foot on the moon in 1972 to the newest project to return. The design was inspired by the lunar surface and the colours of lunar rock samples. The full moon of March 2024, variously known as the Worm Moon, Sap Moon, and Crow Moon in the Americas, will undergo a penumbral lunar eclipse visible from the Americas, Alaska, Antarctica and parts of northern Russia. The eclipse will occur in the early hours at 3:00 AM on March 25, (0700 UTC), passing through the outer part of Earth's shadow. Unlike a partial or total lunar eclipse, the moon won't darken or turn red, but should only look a little darker than usual. March's Full Worm Moon is allegedly named for the earthworms that emerge as the ground thaws in March, a sign observed by Southern Native American tribes. However, Northern tribes, where earthworms were previously absent due to past glaciation, called it the Sap Moon, marking the time to tap maple syrup! Other theories claim that the observed "worms" referred to by the indigenous populations, actually referred to beetle larvae, which begin to emerge from the thawing bark of trees and other winter hideouts at this time! 🌚 🪱 🪱 🪱 🪲
Designed by Paul Mark Moffat, this tartan was created to celebrate mankind's return to the moon, from the first lunar landing by Apollo 11 which took place on 20 July 1969 until the crew of Apollo 17 set the last foot on the moon on 19 December 1972 to the newest project to return. The design was inspired by the lunar surface and the designer used the colours of lunar rock samples to select the colours for the tartan. The sett incorporates elements to represent Neil Armstrong, who is said to have taken a piece of Armstrong tartan to the moon.
March’s full Moon goes by the name Worm Moon and for many years, it was thought this name referred to the earthworms that appear as the soil warms in spring.
However, more research revealed another explanation. In the 1760s, Captain Jonathan Carver visited the Naudowessie (Dakota) and other Native American tribes and wrote that the name Worm Moon refers to a different sort of “worm”—beetle larvae—which begin to emerge from the thawing bark of trees and other winter hideouts at this time.
For more on the calendar of upcoming lunar eclipses, click the full moon!