Would You Still Love the Moon If It Was a Worm?

Just! Asking! Questions!

Honesty Hour

The Moon, beautiful as she is, is easy to love. Which is why she has to know: would you still love her... if she were a worm?

And a worm she apparently is. This month's full Moon, which according to The Farmer's Almanac is called "The Worm Moon," rose last night around 5pm EST, reaching its peak early this morning.

But if you missed it last night, don't worry: the Worm Moon shall rise again this evening at 6:09pm EST, according to In The Sky. And while it won't technically be at its peak, this evening's spineless spectacle should clock in at over 99 percent illumination. So, you know, basically still full.

Worm Turns

The origins of the Worm Moon's name are muddled. As the Farmer's Almanac tells it, a lot of folks believed it to celebrate the first signs of Spring — the Sun comes out, the Earth starts to warm, and the slimy lil' invertebrates are seen in the soil once again.

But that theory was ultimately busted, allegedly upon the discovery that "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," according to the Farmer's Almanac.

And on that note, there are apparently a number of names that the March Moon has historically gone by, a list that includes the Eagle Moon, Goose Moon, Crow Comes Back Moon, and more, each one derived from a different Native American group, so says the Farmer's Almanac.

Of course, the Moon by any other name would still be as beautiful, whether it's a Beaver, Buck, Sturgeon... or, naturally, a Worm.

Even so, we'd urge you to make sure you get your binoculars out and catch the last bit of the Full Worm Moon this evening — gotta let her know you love her.

READ MORE: Don't miss March's Full Worm Moon in the sky tonight [Space.com]

More on Worm Moons: The "Super Worm Moon" Is Ridiculous and It's Time to Stop