A Black Moon is not an official astronomical term but there are two common definitions for the term according to Time and Date.
Some people mistakenly refer to the appearance of any thin lunar crescent as the “new moon.” This fallacy has even spread into popular literature. In his classic work “A Night to Remember,” about the sinking of the Titanic, author Walter Lord quotes a fireman in a lifeboat who caught sight of a narrow crescent low in the dawn sky and exclaimed, “A new moon!”
Washington: People interested in space are going to see a unique celestial sight in the sky just before the end of the year 2024. It is known as Black Moon. Black Moon is the astronomical phenomenon when there is a new moon twice in the same calendar month, which is very rare. Astronomers and those interested in stars eagerly await this event. We will tell you when it will happen in India and other parts of the world, but before that let us know what is Black Moon and how it occurs.
A new moon occurs when the sun and moon are aligned in the sky, with the bright side of the moon facing away from Earth. This makes the moon invisible to us. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days, so sometimes there are two new moons in a month. When this happens it is called a black moon. It is similar to a blue moon, which is when there are two full moons in a month.
It is important to note here that during the new moon we cannot see the moon unless there is a solar eclipse. This means that you will not be able to see the Black Moon, but you can experience it due to the darker night. This darkness helps you see stars, planets, and even distant galaxies more clearly.
According to the US Navy Observatory, this rare sight will occur on December 30 at 5.27 pm Eastern Time of the US. Although people in the US will see it on December 30, for people living in India, it can be seen on December 31 at 3.57 am due to the time difference.
Black Moons are very rare and do not occur every year. The last Black Moon occurred in August 2022, and the next one will be in May 2026. Like other new moons, it cannot be seen with the naked eye, but the absence of the moon is an interesting phenomenon for astronomers and sky enthusiasts.
Because the lunar calendar almost lines up with Earth’s calendar year, there is typically one full moon and one new moon each month. A second full moon in a single calendar month is sometimes called a “Blue Moon.” By this definition, a Black Moon is the flip side of a Blue Moon: the second new moon in a single calendar month. These Black Moons occur approximately once every 29 months and are the most common type of Black Moon according to Time and Date.
By the second definition, a Black Moon refers to an extra full moon in a season. Because Earth’s seasons are approximately three months long, they typically have three new moons. When a season has four new moons the third new moon is called a Black Moon. These seasonal Black Moons occur about once every 33 months according to Time and Date.
During its “new moon” phase, the moon is always “black”. It happens at that time of the month when the moon passes through the same part of the sky as the sun and as such, the moon’s dark or unilluminated side faces Earth. So there really is nothing to see.
Unlike a “supermoon,” which gets countless numbers of people scurrying for vantage points to see a slightly larger and slightly brighter-than-average full moon, with a Black Moon, you simply can’t see it.
A couple of evenings later, however, you’ll be able to pick out a slender sliver of a waxing crescent moon low in the western twilight sky about 30 or 40 minutes after sunset local time.