Celestial Trio Coming: Supermoon, Eclipse and Spring Equinox

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A trifecta of celestial events happen on Friday: a super moon, a total solar eclipse and the spring quinox.

Weather permitting, Maryland residents can see the new moon March 20 when it rises at 5:36 a.m. You’ll have to hurry to catch it before sunrise at 7: 10 a.m. Check timeanddate.com for a table of sun and moon rise and set times in your area.

The third of six perigee moons in 2015 is set to rise Friday morning, says EarthSky. A “supermoon” occurs when the moon rises on the perigee side of the moon’s orbit, which is closer to the earth. The end result is a moon that looks bigger and brighter, and it has a stronger effect on tides on Earth.

This supermoon passes right in front of the equinox sun on March 20, so the moon’s shadow falls on parts of Earth. Only a fraction of the planet will be in the eclipse, including portions of Scotland, Norway and Denmark, says EarthSky.org.

There are six supermoons in 2015, with January and February already in the books. After this weekend, remaining supermoons come on Aug. 29, Sept. 28 and Oct. 27.

March Equinox (Vernal Equinox) is on Friday, March 20, at 6:45 p.m. in Baltimore to mark the beginning of spring. On the equinox the Sun shines directly on the equator and the northern hemisphere receives roughly the same amount of light and dark.

Weather across the Mid-Atlantic could make it tough to see the supermoon. Forecasters at the National Weather Service are predicting an 80 percent chance of snow changing to rain Thursday night into Friday.

»PHOTO: Total eclipse, which will happen in far northern areas, on March 20, courtesy of EarthSky.