A FULL ‘worm’ moon is expected to light up the night sky this Monday.

The “worm moon” is the third full moon of 2024 and will reach maximum brightness on Monday, March 25 at 3 a.m. ET.

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Perhaps most notably, this full moon will pass through Earth’s outer shadow, resulting in a “mild penumbral lunar eclipse,” Live Science reported.

This will happen between 00:53 and 05:32 ET and during the peak more than 90% of the moon will be in the shadow.

This subtle spectacle can be viewed from North America, South America, Europe, East Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Stargazers won’t get the chance to see another partial lunar eclipse until September 18.

WHAT IS A lunar Eclipse?

Lunar eclipses occur during the full moon phase, when the Earth is between the moon and the sun.

When this happens, the Earth’s shadow falls on the moon’s surface.

“That will make the full moon appear fainter as a strange-looking shadow moves across its surface,” the release said.

Lunar eclipses typically last only a few hours and can be viewed from anywhere on the night side of the Earth.

Because they are usually quite faint, it is also possible to view lunar eclipses without eye protection.

Additionally, this minor lunar eclipse will occur exactly two weeks before the Great North American Solar Eclipse on April 8.

What is a solar eclipse?

A solar eclipse is a natural phenomenon in which the sun, blocked by the moon, casts a shadow on the Earth.

This partial or total blocking can only occur when the sun, moon and earth are aligned.

As the sun’s rays are blocked, people get a chance to witness the fiery corona.

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WHY IS IT CALLED THE WORM MOON

The Farmers’ Almanac calls March’s full moon the Worm Moon.

It is believed that the worm moon gets its name from the worms and battles that typically arise when spring arrives.

Moon names in the Farmer’s Almanac often come from Native American tribes.

The worm moon is also called the sugar moon by the Ojibwe tribes The Washington Post.

Meanwhile, other indigenous tribes have called March’s moon the Crow Moon.

An INCREDIBLE railway network could soon be built on the moon that would help humanity thrive on the surface.

The proposed rail system, supported by the US Department of Defense, would be able to do this transport both people and supplies.

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The ‘moon railway’, designed by aerospace giant Northrop Grumman, hopes to enable serious and sustainable economic development on the moon.

Company representatives said, “The envisioned lunar railway network could transport people, supplies, and assets across the lunar surface for commercial ventures – contributing to a space economy for the United States and international partners.”

Northrop Grumman was one of 14 companies selected in December by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to participate in its Luna-10 study, which aims to rapidly create new technology ideas that could benefit humanity will help expand its economic footprint into deep space.

The company said it will contribute to the research by determining the resources needed to build a lunar railway network, developing a list of costs and risks, and identifying prototypes and analyzes of an operational lunar railway system.

It will also, in Northrop Grumman’s words, “explore concepts for constructing and operating the system with robotics, including grading and foundation preparation, track placement and alignment, splicing and finishing, inspection, maintenance and repair.”

Northrop Grumman did not provide details of the funding, although DARPA provided an estimate last August, saying selected studies “will receive an award for other transactions not to exceed $1,000,000 (£788,000)”.

Among the other companies selected by DARPA to participate in the Luna-10 study are Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.

DARPA has not yet revealed what their contributions will be.

The US agency said in December that the study “aims to catalyze the design of a future civilian lunar framework for peaceful US and international use.”

It added: “LunA-10 seeks to study the rapid development of technology concepts for a range of shareable, scalable systems that can operate together, creating revenue-generating services for future lunar users.”

Dr. Michael Nayak, the program manager at DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office, said the study has the potential to “upend the way the civilian space community thinks about encouraging widespread commercial activity on and around the moon.” next one 10 years.

He said the companies chosen in the survey vary in size, and some are domestic while others are international.

Each company is expected to bring “a clear vision and a technically rigorous plan” to quickly move DARPA toward its goal of creating a self-sustaining, commercially managed lunar infrastructure.

The companies will reveal more details about their work to the lunar community next month at the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium.

According to DARPA, they will submit a final report in June.

It comes after the US staked its claim on the moon’s south pole last month when it successfully landed its plane named Odysseus.

The major development brought the White House one step closer to securing a permanent base on the moon.

Longtime NASA administrator Bill Nelson has viewed China as the most capable adversary to get boots on the moon by the end of this decade — though building sustainable infrastructure where humans can survive off-planet may be a trickier task.

The US and China believe the moon’s mysterious south pole is the most feasible location for a permanent moon base.

After a fiery failure and a botched landing, the US’s third lunar robot is set to roll onto the launch pad in 2024.

NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover – known as VIPER – will begin its journey to the moon later this year.

VIPER project manager Dan Andrews said this month: “All VIPER flight instruments are installed and the rover is more than 80% built!”

“This is a major achievement and shows the great progress being made by the dedicated VIPER team, who are excited to see the rover come together.”

VIPER will land near the moon’s south pole with the mission to search for water-based ice and other resources to aid future astronauts on the Artemis III mission, set to launch in 2026.

India became the first country to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon’s south pole in August last year.

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SPACEX successfully launched its spacecraft into orbit and refueled it from space, a unique achievement during a third test launch today.

Although the spacecraft disintegrated upon reentry, it completed several mission objectives that made the flight a success.

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Starship is the spacecraft that will land boots on the moon in 2026 and will eventually become the ferry that takes people to Mars.

The rocket was launched on March 14 at 1:25 PM GMT / 8:25 AM CT after several setbacks due to weather conditions.

Despite a windy start, Starship broke the records of its second launch attempt in November, which exploded about 10 minutes after launch.

During the third flight, SpaceX tried procedures it had not tested before, including:

• Opening and closing Starship’s cargo door (where Starlink satellites will eventually be deployed from)
• A demonstration of propellant transfer during the coastal phase of the upper stage
• A controlled reentry into Earth’s atmosphere

These mission objectives made this spaceship’s most ambitious flight ever.

Achieving a propellant or fuel transfer while in the air will be essential for landing humans on the moon and for having enough gas to reach Mars and other deep space locations.

SpaceX announced that the payload door test and propellant transfer demonstration have been completed, making the launch a success.

The third test flight was to demonstrate the first-ever re-ignition of a Raptor engine in space.

However, the team decided to skip that process and save it for Starship’s fourth flight.

After the second launch attempt, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said that Starship’s third attempt had a good chance of success.

Musk congratulated the SpaceX team with X: “Starship has reached orbital velocity! Congratulations.”

Instead of the Pacific Ocean, Starship and its booster focused on a new trajectory and a soft landing in the Indian Ocean.

Life on Mars

Starship is the embodiment of Musk’s personal mission to make humans an interplanetary species.

The 33-engine, $3 billion mega-rocket is designed to carry up to 100 people from Earth to the moon and eventually to Mars in the 2030s.

In a SpaceX livestream ahead of launch, the team said Starship is “critical” to creating a “self-sustaining city” on Mars.

From the start, Starship was designed with the capacity to store more than 100 tons of cargo.

This is so it can store everything needed to build permanent bases on both alien worlds.

Not only is it the tallest rocket ever flown, Starship’s first stage, known as the Super Heavy booster, is the most powerful rocket ever built and can produce up to 7.6 million kilograms of thrust.

That’s almost double the current record of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS).

Starship, developed as part of a $1.15 billion contract with NASA, refers to the reusable stainless steel upper half of the rocket.

While the bottom half of the rocket is the booster, known as Super Heavy.

Not only will the rocket be critical in future Mars missions, but it has also been selected to launch a new outpost intended to replace the aging International Space Station.

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Forget the Oscars, Lily Gladstone’s real ‘dream’ is to perform on Saturday Night Live – and producers are already lining up to host her.

The Native American, 37, and breakout star of Martin Scorsese’s epic Killers of the Flower Moon, will compete for Best Actress at Sunday night’s Academy Awards.

If she wins, SNL producer Lorne Michaels could quickly snare her for the coveted entertainment show.

“Discussions are already underway for Lily to make her dream gig a reality,” a source exclusively told DailyMail.com.

“Lorne, the writers and the cast would love Lily to be part of the show this year, especially if she wins the Oscar.

‘It’s all about planning. They would like to have her this year, but understand that it could be the right move to have her the next time she sells a future project.

“She would do it tomorrow if she had the chance, but her people want to make the best of the situation and use it to sell her future.”

They ended, “We’ll see Lily get her wish and she’ll 100 percent host SNL this season or next season.”

Lily went public with her SNL dream last week, claiming her parents always saw winning an Academy Award as the pinnacle of her career – but for her it was all about leading the hit comedy show.

Recently on People’s annual Oscars special, she said, “That was probably a dream that I had on my own.” It’s like my parents – and I think it’s exactly what people say when you have the ambition to act, and they want to encourage you as a kid – it’s like, “Oh, one day you’ll get an Oscar.”

‘So it almost becomes a platitude. But what I’ve always wanted to do when I’ve had this moment is host SNL.”

If she lands the gig, she would join a roster of Oscar nominees and winners who previously hosted the Saturday night sketch show, including Anne Hathaway, Anjelica Huston, Rami Malek and Ben Affleck.

Gladstone’s nod for Killers of the Flower Moon marks the first-ever Oscar nomination for a Native American woman.

The actress has Blackfeet and Nez Perce heritage and grew up on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana.

She spoke her native Blackfeet language when she became the first Native American to win the Golden Globe for best actress in a feature film drama in January.

Gladstone plays DiCaprio’s wife Mollie Burkhart in the Osage’s shocking retelling of “Reign of Terror,” in which hundreds of Native Americans were murdered by their white legal guardians in the early 20th century for the money they made from their oil-rich land.

The actress said it has been “remarkable” to see how moved her “people back home” in Osage County have been by Scorsese’s adaptation of David Grann’s 2017 nonfiction book of the same name.

“We have so many stories to tell,” Gladstone told Vanity Fair’s The Hollywood Issue last month.

“It’s just a shock to people when they hear about the Osage Reign of Terror, especially because it’s on such a big stage, I think.

“But there are so many stories to tell, so many things to unpack after just a few centuries of continued genocide on this continent.”

Speaking about her relationship with DiCaprio, who was rejected for his role as Ernest Burkhart, she said: ‘We just enjoy each other’s company. In the beginning we had some time to get used to things, just to get to know each other.

‘But after a few scenes I immediately saw that there was room for improvisation, that there was room to experiment with the different levels of love, complicity, suspicion, everything.’

Killers of the Flower Moon was nominated for ten Oscars on Sunday evening, including Best Picture and Best Director for Scorsese. Robert DeNiro is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his turn as William Hale, the mastermind behind the murders.

It’s been 49 years since he was first nominated for The Godfather Part II in 1975.

Gladstone is up against Emma Stone for Poor Things, Annette Bening for Nyad, Carey Mulligan for Maestro and Sandra Hüller for Anatomy of a Fall.

FORMER journalist Martha is still mourning the death of her young twins in a house fire two years earlier when she comes across the body of her son’s best friend in the Scottish woods.

And when the police start a murder investigation, it soon becomes clear that no one is safe…

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Dark, atmospheric and addictive.

10 lucky Fabulous readers will win a copy of this new novel in this week’s book competition.

To win a copy, enter using the form below before March 23, 2024 at 11:59 PM.

For full terms and conditions, click here.

SPACEX has announced the launch date for Starship’s third test launch, months after the rocket exploded in mid-air during an earlier training flight.

Starship is the rocket that NASA will use to take humans to the moon during the 2026 Artemis III mission – and ultimately to Mars in the 2030s.

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In an announcement on X (formerly Twitter), the company said it is targeting March 14 for Starship’s third test flight “pending regulatory approval.”

The second test flight in October last year exploded dramatically in mid-air due to a technical fault.

The nearly 400-foot-tall rocket with 33 engines is the most powerful spacecraft ever built and costs a whopping $3 billion.

SpaceX plans to try a number of procedures on this third attempt, including propellant transfers during the coast phase of the flight.

Without the ability to transfer fuel into space, NASA will not be able to land astronauts on the moon.

If successful, SpaceX will attempt to transfer propellant from one rocket to another in orbit on the next jump.

In this process, several spacecraft will fuel a tanker in orbit, which will be used to move fuel to another spaceship that is part of NASA’s Human Landing System.

It’s part of the U.S. mission to get boots on the moon’s south pole before China does.

US vs China

The ongoing saber-rattling between the US and China has led to a renaissance of the space race of the 1960s.

The pair compete for the moon’s mysterious south pole, which both countries believe is the most feasible location for a permanent moon base.

In January, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said he believed the “race” for China was over, and that the US was on track to return humans to the moon in September 2026 with Artemis III.

If all goes according to plan, Artemis III will be the first human mission on the moon since Apollo 17.

China’s military presence in the South China Sea signals how the country might behave on the lunar surface, Nelson argues, which would violate the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

But China has big plans and is working with Russia to realize them.

A research paper from scientists at the China National Space Administration earlier this week revealed that the country plans to build a moon base the size of Disneyland.

The planned moon base has a radius of 6 km and includes a command center, a power plant, a communications center, scientific facilities and a fleet of robots.

It will even have its own remote sensing, navigation and communications satellites.

China hopes to start construction of the moon base within the next few years and have a stripped-down version of the outpost by 2028.

Next, China and Russia plan to build a nuclear reactor by 2035 with the robots that will call the moon base their home.

Hunting for helium

The south pole of the moon has been a place of interest for all spacefaring countries including India, Russia, China and the US.

The area is considered one of the most resource-rich areas on the moon.

Last year, India made history by becoming the first country to land near the southern location.

Days before India’s success, Russia also attempted a landing at the South Pole, which resulted in an emergency landing.

There are many ‘cold traps’ on the moon’s surface that are believed to contain gases such as Helium-3, which could help produce enormous amounts of energy here on Earth.

“Even though there are many precious metals and minerals on the moon, the most valuable resource is Helium-3, because it is rare on Earth but very common on the moon,” says a report from the Universities Space Research Association (USRA ). .

“The price of Helium-3 could even reach $2,000 per liter, or $59.15 per ounce.

“It is essential to note that 2.2 pounds, or 1 kilogram, of Helium-3 mixed with 1.5 pounds, or 0.67 kilograms of deuterium, can produce 19 years of megawatts of energy – enough energy to power the United States for an entire year Let it turn.”

OUR beloved astrologer Meg sadly passed away last year, but her column will be kept alive by her friend and protector Maggie Innes.

Read on to see what’s written in the stars for you today.

RAM

March 21 to April 20

You are best friends, loyal but also honest, and this can help you get to where you would like to be with someone special.

It’s easy to be blinded by big expenses, but real bonds are built during quiet times.

Pluto throws your name into a new local mix and you could lead a project related to shared outdoor space.

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Taurus

April 21 to May 21

If there’s at least one emotional goal you know you’ve been avoiding, face it today. This may be a challenging step, but you have the courage.

In the family, showing you care about each other, now and forever, can be enough to get the bond going again.

At work, stick to your own schedule and don’t fall into a time trap.

Get the latest Taurus horoscope news, including your weekly and monthly predictions

GEMINI

May 22 to June 21

The most important movement on your map takes place in your travel zone, as irregular travel can again proceed freely.

This can be a love adventure and the destination is so close.

Or perhaps you are taking steps towards a new home. The door may have to be different, but the feelings can be the same.

Happiness circles history dates.

Get the latest Gemini horoscope news, including your weekly and monthly predictions

CANCER

June 22 to July 22

You feel yourself changing and growing – you are ready to present your new you to the world.

Be careful about how much you reveal, especially to a boss or partner.

Jupiter’s winning streak focuses on your community sector and you will achieve so much in a group.

Soon you could hear the name of that group.

Receive the latest news Cancer horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

LION

July 23 to August 23

The loving light of a marriage moon shines on you and this can hasten long-term love decisions.

But it is also a sign of deep insight into your true heart, and what you see there may surprise you because it represents a different balance between dedication and independence.

Happiness calls a recently repainted door.

Receive the latest news Horoscope news about Leo including your weekly and monthly predictions

VIRGO

August 24 to September 22

If the working world has lost its luster, it may be on the way back and you can see how this could happen.

You can adjust your role, but also revisit an interesting opportunity that you dismissed as ‘not for Virgo’.

Stubborn Pluto jogs through your fitness chart – and the bigger the challenge, the better you can do.

Receive the latest news Virgo horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

LIBRA

September 23 to October 23

This is a day for romance, so open your eyes to see who is looking so longingly your way.

What you do next can set the pace for happily ever after.

There is a creative energy in your horoscope, waking skills that have been dormant for years.

Take them seriously. Happiness may be related to pink and white stripes.

Receive the latest news Libra horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

SCORPIO

October 24 to November 22

It’s time to try again at home – to change an address or an attitude. Stay strong when you need to.

As for love, two hearts are aligned and a choice of dates leads towards June.

If you start the day single, make sure a friendly Taurus doesn’t slip away from you. This may start as friendship, but has eternal potential. “N” directions can be lucky.

Receive the latest news Horoscope news about Scorpio including your weekly and monthly predictions

SAGITTARIUS

November 23 to December 21

You may think you should say more, but your horoscope encourages a caring silence.

When you hold space for someone, he or she feels respected and willing to speak up.

Workmates can become winning teammates in money or sports.

Neptune’s insight identifies the weak link in a family chain – you can fix it.

Receive the latest news Sagittarius horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

CAPRICORN

December 22 to January 20

To make money work well for you, it’s important to have a direct conversation with yourself.

You have the skills and knowledge you need, now it’s time to use them.

Your love profile is ready to rely more on luck and stop your head from trying to micromanage your heart.

Smile back to “S” and see what happens.

Receive the latest news Horoscope news about Capricorn including your weekly and monthly predictions

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AQUARIUS

January 21 to February 18

Now you have a personal moon and the deep insight that comes with it.

An apology can work if you accept that mistakes have been made in the past, but this does not have to affect the future.

A passion image begins to form. A home that you often visit and admire can be the catalyst for a family’s new level of togetherness.

Receive the latest news Aquarius horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

PISCES

February 19 to March 20

You may think you don’t know how to handle certain secrets, but your chart indicates that deep down you do.

Follow this through and do it with enough tact and time. On the other hand, big decisions can be made.

The delightful way a stranger says your name can take you on a romantic rollercoaster.

Receive the latest news Pisces horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

Russia and China had been working together on a lunar program, and Moscow was able to contribute with its expertise in nuclear space energy.

Moscow: Russia and China are considering putting a nuclear power plant on the moon between 2033 and 2035, Yuri Borisov, head of Russia’s Roscosmos space agency, said on Tuesday, something he said could one day allow the construction of lunar settlements.

Borisov, a former deputy defense minister, said Russia and China had worked jointly on a moon program and that Moscow could contribute with its expertise in “nuclear space energy.”

“Today we are seriously considering a project – sometime around the turn of the year 2033-2035 – to supply and install a power source on the lunar surface together with our Chinese colleagues,” Borisov said.

Solar panels wouldn’t be able to provide enough electricity to power future lunar settlements, he said, while nuclear power could.

“This is a very serious challenge… it should be done in automatic mode, without the presence of people,” he said of the possible plan.

Borisov also spoke about Russian plans to build a nuclear-powered cargo spaceship. He said all technical questions related to the project had been resolved, apart from finding a solution for cooling the nuclear reactor.

“We are indeed working on a space tug. This huge, cyclopean structure that, thanks to a nuclear reactor and powerful turbines, could transport large payloads from one orbit to another, collect space debris and engage in many other applications,” Borisov said.

Russian officials have previously discussed ambitious plans to one day mine the moon, but Russia’s space program has suffered a series of setbacks in recent years.

The first moon mission in 47 years failed last year after the Russian spacecraft Luna-25 went out of control and crashed.

Moscow has said it will launch further lunar missions and then explore the possibility of a joint Russian-Chinese manned mission and even a moon base.

China said last month it aims to put the first Chinese astronaut on the moon before 2030.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last month dismissed as false a warning from the United States that Moscow was planning to place nuclear weapons in space, saying it was a ploy to draw Russia into arms negotiations on the West’s terms.

NASA’s next lunar rover is nearing completion as the US ramps up efforts for a third moon landing attempt this year.

The US and China are competing for the moon’s mysterious south pole, which both countries say is the most feasible location for a permanent moon base.

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After a fiery failure and a botched landing, the US’s third lunar robot is set to roll out to the launch pad in 2024.

NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover – known as VIPER – will begin its journey to the moon later this year.

“All VIPER flight instruments have been installed and the rover is more than 80% built!” VIPER project manager Dan Andrews wrote in a NASA blog message earlier this week.

“This is a major achievement and shows the great progress being made by the dedicated VIPER team, who are excited to see the rover come together.”

VIPER will land near the moon’s south pole with the mission to search for water-based ice and other resources to aid future astronauts on the Artemis III mission.

Artemis III is currently scheduled to launch in 2026.

US vs China

The ongoing saber-rattling between the US and China has led to a renaissance of the space race of the 1960s.

NASA administrator Bill Nelson has long viewed China as the most capable adversary to set foot on the moon by the end of this decade.

But a task that may be more difficult than transporting people to the moon is building a sustainable infrastructure where people can survive off-planet.

And China – not surprisingly – has big plans for this.

A research paper from scientists at the China National Space Administration earlier this week revealed that the country plans to build a moon base the size of Disneyland.

An “all-seeing” Skynet CCTV system with more than 600 million cameras will be installed inside the base, presumably on Beijing’s orders, to spy on Chinese citizens on Earth.

The planned moon base has a radius of 6 km and includes a command center, a power plant, a communications center, scientific facilities and a fleet of robots.

It will even have its own remote sensing, navigation and communications satellites.

China hopes to start construction of the moon base within the next few years and have a stripped-down version of the outpost by 2028.

In January, Nelson said he believed China’s “race” to the moon’s south pole was over.

The NASA chief announced that the agency is now targeting September 2026 for its Artemis III mission, the first human mission on the moon since Apollo 17.

“I’m not concerned that China will land before us,” Nelson told reporters at the time.

“I think China has a very aggressive plan. I think they would want to land before us because that could give them a PR coup.

‘But the fact is that I don’t think that will be the case.

“I think it’s true that their announced date is getting earlier and earlier.

“But specifically, as we land in September ’26, that will be the first landing.”

Nelson fears China will violate the 1967 Outer Space Treaty if Beijing were to beat Washington at the post.