# Worm moon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 18, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worm-moon/162309 "2003-03-18T16:59:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worm-moon/162309/1 "2003-03-18T16:59:13Z")
Okay, so here I am just breezing through the news on AOL this morning, and they have this little piece of fluff about a full worm moon that happens only once a year. So I click on it, and they start talking about the moon’s cycle is 29.5 days, etc., but says _nothing_ about why it is a _worm_ moon! :dubious: Someone please explain? ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worm-moon/162309/2 "2003-03-18T17:06:20Z")
The [Worm Moon](http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/970314a.html) is one of the names for the full moon in March (the other is Maple Sugar Moon). > [@](#): > > All full moons draw attention to themselves by the way they dominate the sky from dusk to dawn, so that each one has acquired at least one special name. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worm-moon/162309/3 "2003-03-18T17:06:24Z")
Oddly enough, it’s actually because of [worms](http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/socialstd/MBD/Full_Worm.html). ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worm-moon/162309/4 "2003-03-18T18:55:44Z")
Do I get an award for the two responses to my question being a simulpost? 😃 Thank you both for your answers, this helps clear it up quite a bit! ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worm-moon/162309/5 "2003-03-18T22:20:51Z")
Another name for it is The Rabbit Moon. We see the equinox moon at a slightly different angle, and the “left eyebrow” of the moon’s “face” forms the ears of a sitting rabbit. Perhaps the Easter Bunny character came from the appearance of this spring moon. ---
**Author:** ![RedDawgEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dbc845/32.png) [@RedDawgEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedDawgEsq)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worm-moon/162309/6 "2003-03-19T00:02:17Z")
[Minor hijack] > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > **Oddly enough, \** Modern grammarians consider the use of the word “enough” in phrases such as this, superfluous. The phrase(s) lose no clarity in meaning if they simply stop at “Oddly, bla bla bla…”, “Interestingly, bla bla bla…”, “Strangely, bla bla bla…”, etc. I do believe the subject has been addressed in these pages before. I will post a link if I find one. [/Minor hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worm-moon/162309/7 "2003-03-19T05:09:05Z")
[co-hijack] So what’s wrong with superfluous words? They add flavor to language. I note that where you have > [@](#): > > the use of the word “enough” in phrases such as this you could have ommitted “the word”, and kept the same meaning. [/co-hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worm-moon/162309/8 "2003-03-19T05:37:32Z")
[continuation of co-hijack] Not to mention that: > [@](#): > > The phrase(s) lose no clarity in meaning if they simply stop at "Oddly, bla bla bla… could have done quite well without the superfluous “simply”. What’s that called when one makes the same mistake one is trying to correct another on?😃 [/continuation of co-hijack] ---
**Author:** ![RedDawgEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dbc845/32.png) [@RedDawgEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedDawgEsq)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worm-moon/162309/9 "2003-03-19T06:19:57Z")
Chronos and Q.E.D. Both of the two of you are, rightly enough, correct, and I am simply superfluously redundant.😛 ---
**Author:** ![RedDawgEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dbc845/32.png) [@RedDawgEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedDawgEsq)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worm-moon/162309/10 "2003-03-19T06:25:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\* > > What’s that called when one makes the same mistake one is trying to correct another on?😃 > > \*\* Oops, almost missed that one: A preposition is a bad word to end a sentence with. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worm-moon/162309/11 "2003-03-19T06:25:49Z")
Glad you said that, \*\* RedDawgEsq\*\*, or I’d have been forced to point out that “I do believe” doesn’t need “do” in it. 😉 [sub]You’re Ok in my book, my friend[/sub] 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worm-moon/162309/12 "2003-03-19T06:26:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RedDawgEsq \* > \*\*Oops, almost missed that one: A preposition is a bad word to end a sentence with. 😉 \*\* You got me on that one. Heh. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![RedDawgEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dbc845/32.png) [@RedDawgEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedDawgEsq)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worm-moon/162309/13 "2003-03-19T06:43:01Z")
An honest critique of **The phrase(s) lose no clarity in meaning if they simply stop at "Oddly, bla bla bla…** might conclude that the more egregious error is including “in meaning”, which could have been omitted with no consequence. I be done now. ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worm-moon/162309/14 "2003-03-19T16:13:08Z")
:eek: :eek: Not only do I detest grammer (ya’ll hear me? I ain’t gonna use it! 😉 ) but you all hijacked my thread about moons with it!:eek: :eek: No hard feelings though