Fri., March 18 6:49 6:51
Sat., March 19 6:47 6:52
Sun., March 20 6:45 6:53
Mon., March 21 6:43 6:54
Tues., March 22 6:42 6:55
Wed., March 23 6:40 6:56
Thurs., March 24 6:38 6:57
Fri., March 25 6:37 6:58
Tomorrow night’s full moon has the name Mud Moon. The Old Farmer’s Almanac calls it the Worm Moon, but on the Vineyard, we don’t see worms for weeks to come. We’ve got mud.
This weekend’s full moon is one of the largest full moons of the year. The full moon is closer to the Earth than usual and thus in perigee. A closer moon means the sun and moon will together have a greater influence on our high and low tides. Tides will be highest around noon and midnight, and lowest around sunrise and sunset.
Sandbars normally hidden just below the surface may be visible this weekend at low tide. At high tide, you can expect the tides to run higher up the beach than normal.
These astronomical tides occur about three or four times a year.
The moon orbits the Earth in 28 days in an elliptical orbit, which means that at least once a month the moon gets close to Earth. What is different about tomorrow’s moon is that its gravitational pull on the earth is coordinated with the pull from the sun, directly opposite Earth. The result is more of a pull than usual.
The ringed planet Saturn is near the moon tomorrow and Sunday nights. If you haven’t seen Saturn before, here is a chance to use the moon as a guide. Saturn is the brightest celestial object near the moon. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Virgo.