March 10-13, 2025: The bright waxing moon passes Regulus after sunset. A total lunar eclipse occurs on the night of the Full Worm Moon.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Bright Moon
The bright moon moves farther eastward, passing Regulus, Leo’s brightest star. A total lunar eclipse occurs on the night of March 13/14.
Step outside an hour after sunset to locate the bright moon in the eastern sky. On these four nights, it is farther eastward, moving from in front of Cancer to Leo.
Regulus, meaning “the Prince,” is a bright blue-white star. It is the brightest star closest to the ecliptic, the plane of the solar system. The moon and planets pass nearby. A Moon-Regulus conjunction occurs each month. Later this year, Venus passes by in the eastern morning sky on September 19th.
At nearly 80 light years away, the star shines with an intensity of nearly 150 suns. Regulus is the 15th brightest star for sky watchers at the mid-northern latitudes.
The Highlights
As the moon is farther eastward each night, here’s what to see one hour after sunset:
- March 10: The gibbous moon, 90% illuminated, is over halfway up in the east-southeast. In front of Cancer’s dim stars, the lunar orb is 16.0° to Regulus’ upper right.
- March 11: At 95% illumination, the moon is less than halfway up in the east-southeast. 3.7° to Regulus’ upper right.
- March 12: The nearly Full moon, 98% illuminated, is over 20° above the east horizon, 9.3° to Regulus’ lower left.
- March 13: This is the night of the Full moon, occurring at 1:55 a.m. Central Time tomorrow. This month’s seasonal name is Worm moon. Over 10° up in the east, the moon is over 20° to Regulus’ lower left. During the night, the moon appears higher in the sky. A lunar eclipse occurs overnight.
Lunar Eclipse
A lunar eclipse occurs when a Full moon enters Earth’s shadow and it loses most of the sunlight that illuminates it. Some of the sunlight penetrates Earth’s atmosphere, and it is bent into the shadow. This light makes the moon appear coppery-orange, poetically called a blood moon, although it is not blood red. The best part of the eclipse, when the moon is completely immersed in Earth’s shadow, lasts 66 minutes, beginning at 1:25 a.m. Central Time. Set an alarm to see this pretty eclipse.
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