Tonight’s moon is a waning gibbous, the phase that follows a full moon when the illuminated surface gradually shrinks night after night. If you noticed a bright, nearly full moon and wondered what it signifies, you’re looking at the tail end of March’s Full Worm Moon, which reached peak fullness on March 3. The moon is currently transiting through Scorpio and remains highly visible for most of the night.
What a Waning Gibbous Moon Looks Like
A waning gibbous moon appears more than half-lit but noticeably less round than a full moon. Each night, a slightly larger sliver of shadow creeps across one side. The moon rises later in the evening during this phase and stays visible well into the morning hours, so you’ll often spot it hanging in the daytime sky if you look up after sunrise.
The moon orbits Earth at an average distance of about 384,400 kilometers, but that distance shifts throughout the month. At its closest (perigee), it’s roughly 356,400 kilometers away; at its farthest (apogee), about 406,700 kilometers. That 6% swing affects how large and bright the moon appears on any given night.
Why It’s Called the Worm Moon
Every month’s full moon carries a traditional name rooted in Native American, European, and other cultural traditions. March’s full moon is the Worm Moon, named for the earthworm casts that reappear as the ground softens in early spring. Some northern tribes called it the Crow Moon, because the cawing of crows signals winter’s end, or the Crust Moon, for the pattern of snow thawing by day and refreezing at night. It’s also been called the Sap Moon, marking the start of maple tapping season. These names served as a seasonal calendar long before written schedules existed.
Spiritual and Symbolic Meaning
In spiritual traditions that follow the lunar cycle, each phase carries its own theme. The waning gibbous falls in the “letting go” portion of the cycle. Where the full moon represents a peak, a moment to celebrate what you’ve built, the waning phase is about release and restoration. The idea is to shed what’s no longer working, whether that’s a habit, a grudge, or a commitment that has run its course, and make space before the next new moon resets the cycle.
Tonight’s moon is also in Scorpio, which in astrological tradition intensifies emotional depth. A Scorpio moon is associated with a desire to move past surface-level interactions and dig into what you’re actually feeling. People who follow lunar astrology often treat Scorpio transits as a time for honest self-reflection, particularly around relationships and emotional patterns that usually stay buried.
Whether any of this resonates with you depends entirely on your personal framework. Many people find lunar phases useful as a simple rhythm for checking in with themselves, even without subscribing to astrology.
How the Moon Affects Tides
The moon’s most measurable earthly effect is on ocean tides. During full and new moons, the sun, moon, and Earth line up, and the combined gravitational pull produces “spring tides,” which are extra-high highs and very low lows. Since tonight’s moon is just days past full, coastal areas are still experiencing stronger-than-average tidal swings. One week after a full moon, when the sun and moon sit at right angles to Earth, tides moderate into what are called “neap tides.”
The moon’s distance matters too. When the moon is at perigee, its tide-generating force is stronger, producing above-average tidal ranges. When it’s at apogee two weeks later, those ranges shrink. If a full moon coincides with perigee, you get the largest tidal swings of the month.
Does the Moon Actually Affect Sleep?
A well-known study conducted under tightly controlled laboratory conditions, with no windows or time cues, found that the lunar cycle does appear to influence human sleep. Around the full moon, participants lost about 20 minutes of total sleep time and took 5 minutes longer to fall asleep. Deep sleep activity, measured by brain wave patterns, dropped by 30%. Melatonin levels also dipped, and participants rated their sleep quality as worse.
Because tonight’s moon is still close to full, you may notice slightly lighter or more restless sleep than usual. The effect is modest, not dramatic enough to cause insomnia, but enough that some people feel it. As the moon continues to wane over the coming week, any lunar influence on sleep should fade.
What’s Coming Next
The moon will continue waning until it reaches its last quarter around March 11, then thin to a crescent before the next new moon. The next notable lunar event on the calendar is a partial lunar eclipse on August 27-28, 2026, visible from the Americas, Europe, Africa, and western Asia. During a partial eclipse, Earth’s shadow covers a portion of the moon’s surface, giving it a distinctive dark bite that’s visible to the naked eye.