Blood Moon begins March skywatch

 

February 28 is the last day of this month because Feb.29 only comes once in four years. But the end of February this year means the beginning of March can be celebrated by you and astronomers with a special sky watch – a total lunar eclipse.

Usually we talk about solar eclipses but as we go into March 2026 talk is about a lunar eclipse.  It’s when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow during a full Moon. Plus, the Sun Earth and Moon are aligned straight.

It often is called a Blood Moon. But it is often known as the Worm Moon because beetle larva may emerge now. It peaks at 6:38 A.M. ET. March 3, 2026.

That is when the Moon passes through the darkest part of the earth’s shadow called the umbra. It can result in a reddish or copper glow because the sunlight is is scattered through the earth’s atmosphere.

The eclipse can be viewed the evening of March 2 in Hawaii but here in the Chicago area we’ll have to wait until early morning  March 3 between 5 and 6 a.m. when part of the Eclipse can be seen.

For more information visit Total Lunar Eclipse on March 2–3, 2026 – Where and When to See and Total lunar eclipse March 2026 — A complete guide to the next ‘blood moon’ | Space plus Worm Moon 2026: March Full Moon Meaning, Date & “Blood Moon” Eclipse | The Old Farmer’s Almanac

Orchid season

Photo by Jeff Carrion / Chicago Botanic Garden

Orchid Show at Chicago Botanic Garden. Photo courtesy of Jeff Carrion / Chicago Botanic Garden

It may feel like winter in Chicago but Orchids with a capital O are brightening the greenhouse area of the Chicago Botanic Garden, now through March 22, 2026.

An over the top, popular annual show, the Botanic Garden is this year transporting visitors with a retro theme back to the 60s and 70s.

Mostly taking place in the greenhouses, the event still sports its familiar welcome to our showy blooms vibe so bring the camera or cell phone to take memorable photos.

For a special evening treat visit Orchids After Hours, Saturdays: February 28; March 7, 14, 21, Fridays: February 27; March 6, 13, 20 and Thursdays: March 12 & 19, 5 to 8 p.m.

The Chicago Botanic Garden borders Edens Hwy at 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe (at Highland Park).

Find more information at Chicago Botanic Garden.

Jodie Jacobs

 

 

February Snow Moon

J Jacobs photo)
J Jacobs photo)

January is a long month but the full February moon is just a few days away. So, we’re not waiting until the January calendar page is flipped.

You will likely see the full moon this weekend even though it is at its peak at 5:09 p.m. EST Feb. 1, 2026.

Called the “Snow Moon” which this year appropriately mirrors what is on the ground here in the Midwest and neighboring states, the full moon is also known as the “Bear Moon” by some North American tribes.

You should be able to see it rise in the East because our weather is not just cold but also clear. If interested in reference to star formations look for the constellation Cancer. 

It is hard to predict if February 2026 will be the snowiest month this year because some sites say that January often has more snow. But keep the shovels handy.

References: Snow Moon: Full Moon in February 2026 | The Old Farmer’s Almanac, Space and Time and Date

January Wolf Moon and Meteor Shower

January Full Moon (J Jacobs photo)
January Full Moon (J Jacobs photo)

Sky Watching takes on added momentum as January ushers in 2026

The first Full Moon of 2026 is a Supermoon. It looks larger because it is closer to Earth than most months’ full moon.

Called the Wolf Moon, it will be rising Saturday, January 3, 2026 by 5:03 a.m. EST. The backstory is that wolves may howl more during the winter to connect with other members of their pack, possibly because they are hungry.

Other Names

As with many other Full Moon names, January’s refers to the seasonal weather and/or animal activity. 

These include Cold Moon, Great Moon and Frost Exploding Moon names from the Cree and Severe Moon and Hard Moon from the Dakotas. Also Freeze Up Moon by the Algonquins. 

Another reason to sky watch

Looking up also means checking for meteors to cross the sky.

They are the Quadrantids and will be competing for notice because they peak during this month’s bright full moon Jan. 3.

Although they don’t typically have persistent trains they are bright fireballs. Their parent is the 2003 EH Asteroid. Expect between 10 to 25 fireballs per hour. 

BTW Don’t forget to dress really warmly if watching outdoors.

For more information visit

Meteor Showers 2026 – 2027 – American Meteor Society

Wolf Moon: Full Moon in January 2026 | The Old Farmer’s Almanac

Winter solstice

 

sunset in the winter, golden hour, snowy trees, sunsetting through the trees, winter solstice

This beautiful winter scene is by Marina Zezelina/Shutterstock on the Old Farmer’s Almanac website.

 

The winter solstice, considered the first day of astronomical winter (as opposed to meteorological winter, occurs in our Northern Hemisphere  between December 20 through 23. The Southern Hemisphere’s winter solstice comes in June.

This year, the winter solstice falls December 21 at 10:03 EST. But right now, on Dec. 17, 2025, it is 40 degrees outside.

However, the weather is supposed to go back down to its normal freezing temps Friday, so we’ll shortly see if Sunday brings back winter as we in Chicago know it. (Go to Time Zone Converter in the Old Farmer’s Almanac to learn when that is where you live.

The somewhat bad news is that the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year because it has the fewest hours of sunlight.

The good news is that the days will begin to grow longer until we are back at the summer solstice which marks the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. The other good news is that the days will now get brighter.

Meteorological winter started about 3 weeks before the solstice.

For more information visit Winter Solstice 2025: When Is the First Day of Winter? What Is the Winter Solstice? | The Old Farmer’s Almanac and Winter solstice 2025: Your ultimate guide to the shortest day of the year | Live Science

 

 

See Geminids meteor shower tonight

Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)Photo courtesy of NASA
The Geminid , one of the best meteor showers  of 2025,  peaks overnight December 13–14, with 120 to 150 meteors per hour.
Peak Chicago area time is expected from 12:30 a.m. to 3 a.m. when the Gemini constellation is highest in the Chicago area sky. The event happens when Earth passess throught the orbit of Phaethon, a wandering asteroid.
The Geminids typically produce bright, fast meteors that are white and sort of yellowish so they should produce an excellent light show.
The shower’s radiant is close to Castor, a bright star in the constellation gemini which rises in the east a few hours after sunset. Even though these “shooting stars” will be bright the waning crescent moon might somewhat interfer.
For more  info visit Time and Date
For a live streaming go to Space.com to watch on The Virtual Telescope Project’s YouTube channel   Space.com adds this note: If you capture a shooting star and want to share your astrophotography with Space.com’s readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

A fine Supermoon this month

Best Superrmoon this year is early November Jacobs photo)
Good Supermoon  early November Jacobs photo)

 

Oldsters might recall the words “by the light of the silvery moon.” That light is shining bright now.

November’s Full Moon is most illuminated at 8:19 a.m. EST on November 5, 2025 but it already appears full tonight, Nov. 4, so don’t worry you don’t see it early in the morning. Just look up tonight to see what we call the Hunter’s Moon or the Beaver’s Moon.

Whatever name you like it is a Supermoon and is brightest and fullest on Nov. 5, 2025. It appears larger than most other full moons because it will be closer to Earth.

But look again. It will still look full on Nov. 6.

Check the Moonrise and Moonset Calculator at the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

According to the Farmer’s Almanac a Supermoon is a New or Full Moon that occurs when the Moon is near perigee (the point in the Moon’s orbit where it is closest to Earth). Thus there can be more than one Supermoon in a year.

“Supermoon” was the name given by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 for Moons within 90% of perigee. 

The almanac goes on to say “According to this definition, in 2025, the Full Moons of October, November, and December all qualify as Supermoons—reaching 90% of perigee, the Moon’s closest approach to Earth.

Next year, 2026, will contain three Full Supermoons – January 3, 2026; November 24, 2026; and December 23, 2026.

 

Look up for new comet discoveries and our October prime time meteor shower

Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)
Meteor shower (Photo courtesy of NASA)

That light that usually hangs up in the sky is entering its new moon stage so it won’t be a problem when watching the Orionid meteors at their peak Oct. 21 or when looking for the recently discovered comets R2 SWAN crossing the sky tonight (visit Time and Date) or A6 Lemmon tomorrow.

The Orionid meteor shower, active from Oct. 2 to Nov. 7, peaks Oct. 21. As you may recall from other articles this meteor shower occurs when Earth travels through the debris behind Halley’s Comet

What to expect: Fast, bright meteors, about 20 per hour, coming from the constellation Orion, near the star Betelgeuse.

When: Best is to watch for them at predawn because the radiant is then high in the sky. It would have risen in the east before midnight so expect the best action about 5:30 a.m.

Find more info and watch time about the two newly found comets at Space.com.

Harvest Moon

 

First Supermoon this year is early October Jacobs photo)
First Supermoon this year is early October Jacobs photo)

 

Did the full moon wake you last night as it shone through the window covering? It did me.

The October 2025 full moon actually is 11:47  p.m. ET, Oct 6, but it will look large and full this weekend thru Oct.8 because it is a Supermoon.

It appears larger and brighter because it is closer to Earth than this year’s previous full moons. It is the first of three Supermoons in 2025.

It is also called the Harvest Moon which sometimes appears in September depending on when the autumnal equinox falls.

If you are driving past a field that is no longer full of corn you likely understand why the October full moon this year is called the Harvest Moon.

But sometimes we think of the Harvest Moon as falling in September. That “date” depends on the September (autumnal equinox) which this year was Sept. 22. The full moon closest to the autumnal equinox is called the Harvest Moon. This year we called the September full moon the Corn Moon.

BTW the Anishinaabe tribe calls the October Moon the Falling Leaves Moon.

Maybe you noticed evening started to come earlier after Sept. 22. Our daylight is shortening and our yard is covered with leaves.

More information at Time and Date and at Old Farmer’s Almanac

September full moon is a triple treat

A bright red Moon during a total lunar eclipse against a black night sky.

Photo courtesy of Time and Date

For many folks September marks the beginning of the 2025-26 school year but for Full Moon Sky Watchers it is a lot more:

The September full moon is called the Corn Moon.

The September 2025 full moon is the Blood Moon.

The September 2025 full moon includes an eclipse.

The Moon always appears full in the days before and after peak illumination. Full Moon is the only phase where the Moon is up all night, with moonrise and moonset occurring around sunset and sunrise.

Regular readers of this site know that full moons usually are named for their season or their crops so there’s little surprise that the September’s full moon is often called the Corn Moon to indicate when the crop is harvested.

In the US its peak illumination will be at 2:09 p.m. Eastern Time, September 7-8. However, because that will be below the horizon watch for it after sunset.

However, the September 2025 full moon is also a Blood Moon. And yes, that is what some people, mostly in Europe, Australia Asia and Africa will see because some of its time in the sky it will appear red.

A fully eclipsed Moon is called a Blood Moon  which will happen Sept. 8 when the Moon passes through Earth’s shadow as a  lunar eclipse. It will  be covered by the darkest part of Earth’s shadow. The full eclipse will last for about an hour and  22 minutes.

For more information visit:

Total lunar eclipse September 2025: All you need to know – Space & Telescope

LIVE Stream: Total Lunar Eclipse September 7–8, 2025

NASA Blood Moon – Search Newslivestreams (video)