<p>All the monthly Full Moons are named e.g. <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/full-moon-names.html" rel="noreferrer">list at timeanddate.com</a>, of which "Harvest Moon" is the one people are probably most familiar with. So the March Full Moon is indeed the "Worm Moon" although rarely referred to as such. The extra hyperbole ("Super", "Blood" etc) seems to be a recent (within the last few years) media phenomenon for unknown reasons...</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T04:11:05.183Z
I think "super" refers to the apparent size of the moon due to it being closer to Earth (since the orbit is not perfect and it is sometimes closer and sometimes farther)? And "blood" refers to the reddish color.
Thunderforge
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T05:33:07.030Z
I agree, but it's at most a few % bigger if the Full Moon is close to perigee so hardly warrants the "Super". The Moon has also been doing this for millennia before the media decided on this recent "rebranding exercise" and I wish they would stop...
astrosnapper
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T10:20:15.720Z
This answer does not answer the *equinox* part at all and incorrectly claims that *super* is a meaningless hyperbole (it does have a meaning, even if it's not all that significant)
Jasper
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T12:00:56.397Z
@astro: _it's at most a few % bigger_ According to Octopus's answer it is 30% brighter.
TaW
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T12:49:57.140Z
@Thunderforge While the moon is closer to the Earth, isn't the apparent size increase [more so an illusion than it is closeness](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/11465/26314)...at least at the horizon?
Kenneth K.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T23:54:53.237Z
Over use leads to fatigue and to "super" becoming "normal" which leads to even more terms being added into the description to try and make the next Full Moon that's slightly closer brighter "extra, really super"... As [this APOD](https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap161113.html) shows the difference in appearance between the 2 extremes is very small and IMHO doesn't justify a "super" adjective for something that's barely noticeable. Too much media hype of something that most people would not notice risks alienating people ("is that it!?") leaving little reserve to push something really new & exciting
astrosnapper
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-22T09:46:54.927Z
@astrosnapper Yes, that's basically my answer...
David Richerby
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T01:36:49.570Z
2019-03-21T01:36:49.570Z
astrosnapper
<p>A supermoon is when the full moon occurs at the time when the moon is at its closest point to us in its elliptical orbit.  This means that the moon is slightly bigger (honestly, you wouldn't notice it unless you made careful comparisons) and a chunk brighter than normal full moons.  Except that supermoons happen three or four times every year, so, actually, a supermoon is itself a pretty normal full moon.</p>

<p>In the last few years, the media seems to have latched onto these as EXCITING! EVENTS!, despite the fact that they account for about a quarter of all new moons.  In the last year or so, perhaps they sensing that we have supermoon fatigue ("What, another one? There was a supermoon only a couple of months ago..."), they've started putting long chains of adjectives in front of the word "supermoon" to make it sound EVEN! MORE! EXCITING!!1! These adjectives mostly come from traditional names for each month's full moon, but they sound NEW! and EXCITING!! because we don't use them very often in the modern era.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-22T00:41:33.927Z
From what I've read, supermoons do not occur every three or four months. Are you sure about that bit? I could definitely be wrong
user23502
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-22T01:28:08.353Z
@user23502 See https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/30080/how-is-this-the-last-supermoon-of-2019
PM 2Ring
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-22T09:46:08.517Z
@user23502 You could definitely be right, too. :-) Edited; thanks.
David Richerby
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T12:11:37.383Z
2019-03-22T09:45:52.607Z
2019-03-22T09:45:52.607Z
David Richerby
<p>All those adjectives being smooshed together signify an uncommon event. That's why you've never seen them together like that before.</p>

<p>All 3 conditions have to hold true:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>It's a supermoon, which means the full moon coincides with the moons perigee or nearest approach. That can make it appear up to 30% brighter than one at apogee (farthest away). These happen about every 13 months and it doesn't have to be exact so usually, we get 2 of them in a row, like we did this year. February had a supermoon and so did March.</p></li>
<li><p>It's a worm moon, which means it is occurring in the month of March (see <a href="https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/30068">@astrosnapper's answer</a> for a better explanation of that).</p></li>
<li><p>It's during an equinox, basically the first day of spring (or autumn).</p></li>
</ol>

<p>If any one of those isn't happening then it can't be called a <strong><em>Super Worm Equinox Moon</em></strong>.</p>

<p>Apparently, the term <em>supermoon</em> (all one word, by the way) is a relatively recent thing. I tried to view it on Google N Gram viewer, <a href="https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=supermoon%2Csuper%20moon&amp;year_start=1800&amp;year_end=2019&amp;corpus=15&amp;smoothing=3&amp;share=&amp;direct_url=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">but...</a></p>

<p>It is a particularly bright full moon and it does deserve to have its own terminology, IMO.</p>

<p>Update: The rarity of the event is certainly relative. I saw a tweet from National Geographic that we also had a super worm equinox moon 19 years ago.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T07:25:11.460Z
We don't see adjectives together like this very often because they don't serve as effective communication; they're just up at the moment as clickbait.
Nat
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T07:40:22.620Z
Condition two is rather unremarkable. March is guaranteed to have a full moon, and half of all equinoxes are in March.
JAD
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T08:11:23.117Z
There are "rare events" in astronomy every other day, simply because there are so many combinations of celestial objects.
Eric Duminil
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T08:34:27.650Z
`+1` While those might also all be valid statements, this answer is valid and straightforward, and addresses the question directly, and it reassures me that super worms are not going to appear during the full Moon at the equinox. *Whew! That's a relief.*
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T10:22:12.527Z
@EricDuminil supermoon at equinox yes, that it's in _march_? eh...
Baldrickk
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T11:21:16.383Z
According to [wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbit_of_the_Moon), the closest perigee is 356,400 km, and the furthest apogee is 406,700 km, with an average distance of 385,000 km. Brightness is inversely proportional to the square of distance, so closest perigee is $(\frac{406700}{356400})^2=130$% of furthest apogee, and only $(\frac{385000}{356400})^2=117$% of normal. Brightness doesn't really help see it better, but it is about 8% larger than normal, or 14% larger than max (same numbers, but without squaring it).
MichaelS
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T11:39:39.753Z
It may also be noted that the Moon's [apsidal precession](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apsidal_precession) (which governs which time of the year full moons can be super) is pretty fast at 8.9 years for a full cycle. So -- contrary to my immediate assumption -- just because the vernal equinox full moon in 2019 is super doesn't mean that _all_ vernal equinox full moons are, or even that the next one will be.
hmakholm left over Monica
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T17:37:46.523Z
@Nat, sure. Before the internet, newspaper headlines were doing it for decades. The OP already referred to it as click bait. I didn't address that. It's simply a descriptive phrase, and it does accurately describe what was in the sky on the night of March 20, 2019. How big a deal that really is is a different question.
Octopus
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T19:24:27.003Z
No NGrams to plot because you're only graphing up 'till 2008,  BTW. (not that you can plot any further).
Lordology
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T22:19:50.770Z
@Octopus To be fair, your answer's accurate, and I'd ordinarily have $\texttt{+1}'\text{d}$ it for that.  My objection was moreso in the phrasing that this is an "_uncommon event_".  Not because that's wrong in a technical sense, but because it's misleading.  I mean, say that we accept the premise that every snowflake is unique; then, each snowflake that falls in a snowstorm is a unique event, as the rarest of them all.  But then should the media report stories about "_rare_" snowflake fallings?  By the same token, this event may be "_uncommon_", but like the snowflakes, it seems misleading.
Nat
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-22T00:59:49.107Z
According to google trends, supermoon was first used a noticeable amount in march 2011: https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=supermoon
The Guy with The Hat
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T04:47:55.037Z
2019-03-22T15:52:30.343Z
2019-03-22T15:52:30.343Z
Octopus
<p>Google News feed shows me the following. </p>

<p>What does the term "Super Worm Equinox Moon" mean and has it ever been used before this 2019 clickbait instance?</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/oXhaV.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/oXhaV.png" alt="Super Worm Equinox Moon"></a></p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T01:45:59.393Z
Not to be confused with [Moon Worm](https://futurama.fandom.com/wiki/Moon_Worm).
Mike G
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T07:33:01.237Z
They forgot to add in "_Frosty_" or "_Fiery_", depending on if the average temperature outside will be cool or warm.  Should also be a Moon "_of Doom_" or "_of Bountiful Tidings_", depending on how the stock market's doing.
Nat
<the-moon><terminology>
What (the heck) is a Super Worm Equinox Moon?
uhoh
# What (the heck) is a Super Worm Equinox Moon?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-03-21)

Google News feed shows me the following.

What does the term "Super Worm Equinox Moon" mean and has it ever been used before this 2019 clickbait instance?

> [![Super Worm Equinox Moon](https://i.sstatic.net/oXhaV.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/oXhaV.png)

**Tags:** the-moon, terminology
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Not to be confused with [Moon Worm](https://futurama.fandom.com/wiki/Moon_Worm).  
> **username_2**: They forgot to add in "_Frosty_" or "_Fiery_", depending on if the average temperature outside will be cool or warm.  Should also be a Moon "_of Doom_" or "_of Bountiful Tidings_", depending on how the stock market's doing.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_11 on 2019-03-21. Score: 21 | Accepted answer

All those adjectives being smooshed together signify an uncommon event. That's why you've never seen them together like that before.

All 3 conditions have to hold true:

1. It's a supermoon, which means the full moon coincides with the moons perigee or nearest approach. That can make it appear up to 30% brighter than one at apogee (farthest away). These happen about every 13 months and it doesn't have to be exact so usually, we get 2 of them in a row, like we did this year. February had a supermoon and so did March.
2. It's a worm moon, which means it is occurring in the month of March (see [@astrosnapper's answer](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/30068) for a better explanation of that).
3. It's during an equinox, basically the first day of spring (or autumn).

If any one of those isn't happening then it can't be called a ***Super Worm Equinox Moon***.

Apparently, the term *supermoon* (all one word, by the way) is a relatively recent thing. I tried to view it on Google N Gram viewer, [but...](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=supermoon%2Csuper%20moon&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=)

It is a particularly bright full moon and it does deserve to have its own terminology, IMO.

Update: The rarity of the event is certainly relative. I saw a tweet from National Geographic that we also had a super worm equinox moon 19 years ago.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: We don't see adjectives together like this very often because they don't serve as effective communication; they're just up at the moment as clickbait.  
> **username_12**: Condition two is rather unremarkable. March is guaranteed to have a full moon, and half of all equinoxes are in March.  
> **username_13**: There are "rare events" in astronomy every other day, simply because there are so many combinations of celestial objects.  
> **username_0**: `+1` While those might also all be valid statements, this answer is valid and straightforward, and addresses the question directly, and it reassures me that super worms are not going to appear during the full Moon at the equinox. *Whew! That's a relief.*  
> **username_14**: @EricDuminil supermoon at equinox yes, that it's in _march_? eh...  
> **username_15**: According to [wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbit_of_the_Moon), the closest perigee is 356,400 km, and the furthest apogee is 406,700 km, with an average distance of 385,000 km. Brightness is inversely proportional to the square of distance, so closest perigee is $(\frac{406700}{356400})^2=130$% of furthest apogee, and only $(\frac{385000}{356400})^2=117$% of normal. Brightness doesn't really help see it better, but it is about 8% larger than normal, or 14% larger than max (same numbers, but without squaring it).  
> **username_16**: It may also be noted that the Moon's [apsidal precession](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apsidal_precession) (which governs which time of the year full moons can be super) is pretty fast at 8.9 years for a full cycle. So -- contrary to my immediate assumption -- just because the vernal equinox full moon in 2019 is super doesn't mean that _all_ vernal equinox full moons are, or even that the next one will be.  
> **username_11**: @Nat, sure. Before the internet, newspaper headlines were doing it for decades. The OP already referred to it as click bait. I didn't address that. It's simply a descriptive phrase, and it does accurately describe what was in the sky on the night of March 20, 2019. How big a deal that really is is a different question.  
> **username_17**: No NGrams to plot because you're only graphing up 'till 2008,  BTW. (not that you can plot any further).  
> **username_2**: @Octopus To be fair, your answer's accurate, and I'd ordinarily have $\texttt{+1}'\text{d}$ it for that.  My objection was moreso in the phrasing that this is an "_uncommon event_".  Not because that's wrong in a technical sense, but because it's misleading.  I mean, say that we accept the premise that every snowflake is unique; then, each snowflake that falls in a snowstorm is a unique event, as the rarest of them all.  But then should the media report stories about "_rare_" snowflake fallings?  By the same token, this event may be "_uncommon_", but like the snowflakes, it seems misleading.  
> **username_18**: According to google trends, supermoon was first used a noticeable amount in march 2011: https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=supermoon  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2019-03-21. Score: 16

All the monthly Full Moons are named e.g. [list at timeanddate.com](https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/full-moon-names.html), of which "Harvest Moon" is the one people are probably most familiar with. So the March Full Moon is indeed the "Worm Moon" although rarely referred to as such. The extra hyperbole ("Super", "Blood" etc) seems to be a recent (within the last few years) media phenomenon for unknown reasons...

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: I think "super" refers to the apparent size of the moon due to it being closer to Earth (since the orbit is not perfect and it is sometimes closer and sometimes farther)? And "blood" refers to the reddish color.  
> **username_3**: I agree, but it's at most a few % bigger if the Full Moon is close to perigee so hardly warrants the "Super". The Moon has also been doing this for millennia before the media decided on this recent "rebranding exercise" and I wish they would stop...  
> **username_5**: This answer does not answer the *equinox* part at all and incorrectly claims that *super* is a meaningless hyperbole (it does have a meaning, even if it's not all that significant)  
> **username_6**: @astro: _it's at most a few % bigger_ According to Octopus's answer it is 30% brighter.  
> **username_7**: @Thunderforge While the moon is closer to the Earth, isn't the apparent size increase [more so an illusion than it is closeness](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/11465/26314)...at least at the horizon?  
> **username_3**: Over use leads to fatigue and to "super" becoming "normal" which leads to even more terms being added into the description to try and make the next Full Moon that's slightly closer brighter "extra, really super"... As [this APOD](https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap161113.html) shows the difference in appearance between the 2 extremes is very small and IMHO doesn't justify a "super" adjective for something that's barely noticeable. Too much media hype of something that most people would not notice risks alienating people ("is that it!?") leaving little reserve to push something really new & exciting  
> **username_8**: @astrosnapper Yes, that's basically my answer...  

---

### Answer by username_8 on 2019-03-21. Score: 8

A supermoon is when the full moon occurs at the time when the moon is at its closest point to us in its elliptical orbit. This means that the moon is slightly bigger (honestly, you wouldn't notice it unless you made careful comparisons) and a chunk brighter than normal full moons. Except that supermoons happen three or four times every year, so, actually, a supermoon is itself a pretty normal full moon.

In the last few years, the media seems to have latched onto these as EXCITING! EVENTS!, despite the fact that they account for about a quarter of all new moons. In the last year or so, perhaps they sensing that we have supermoon fatigue ("What, another one? There was a supermoon only a couple of months ago..."), they've started putting long chains of adjectives in front of the word "supermoon" to make it sound EVEN! MORE! EXCITING!!1! These adjectives mostly come from traditional names for each month's full moon, but they sound NEW! and EXCITING!! because we don't use them very often in the modern era.

> **Comments:**
> **username_9**: From what I've read, supermoons do not occur every three or four months. Are you sure about that bit? I could definitely be wrong  
> **username_10**: @user23502 See https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/30080/how-is-this-the-last-supermoon-of-2019  
> **username_8**: @user23502 You could definitely be right, too. :-) Edited; thanks.  

---

