An unusual astronomical event is set to happen tonight for the first time in 29 months . The black moon is in the skies from sunset on December 30 and will remain there until the early hours of December 31.
However while it is impossible to see – even with a telescope – it is still good news for stargazers. For it means other stars and planets will be unusually bright giving people a much better chance of viewing them, says the BBC.
A black moon is the second new moon in a calendar month – the first phase of the moon when its shadow is pointing towards earth. However all new moons cannot be seen from earth making the black moon invisible to view.
Anyone gazing up into the skies tonight will not be able to see the moon at all. The last black moon was in April 2022 and after this one people will have to wait until August 2027 for the next one to come along.
While seeing the moon is not possible there are tips for anyone wanting to catch a look at the other stars and planets. Find a place as dark as possible – ideally far from streetlights which brighten the skies.
However, beyond the fact it’s a new moon, scientists don’t tend to see the black moon as a meaningful event. According to Walter Freeman is an assistant teaching professor in the physics department at Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences astronomy events like the black moon captures people’s attention because it is a bridge between two of the greatest accomplishments of humanity – fiction and mythology, and science.
He previously explained all you need to know about what a Black Moon is ad the science behind it. This is what he says:
What is a black moon?
“A ‘black moon’ is just a second new moon that happens in one calendar month. This is no different than any other new moon from the perspective of science.
“When the Moon is on the same side of Earth as the Sun, then the face of the Moon that gets sunlight is pointed away from us, and we can’t see it; the face of the Moon that’s pointed toward us is in shadow, so we can’t see it.”
He added: “This is a ‘new moon’, and it happens once every 29.5 days. Our months are a little bit longer than this, so sometimes we get two of these per calendar month.
“This happens because the designers of the Gregorian calendar that we use wanted every year to be the same length, and have “stretched” the months to be a little bit longer than 29.5 days so that twelve months add up exactly to one year. So, if a new moon happens near the beginning of a calendar month, then the next one will happen before it’s over.”
How is it different from other lunar events?
He said other moons such as a “blood moon” are astronomically interesting- a lunar eclipse. This is where the Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon. He added: “The term ‘blood moon’ comes from the fact that red light from the Sun leaks around the edges of the Earth even during a lunar eclipse.”
How can you see a Black Moon?
The professor said: “There’s nothing to see! A new moon is the phase of the Moon where it’s invisible since the lit part is facing away from us.
“However, the fact that you can’t see the Moon allows you to see the stars, planets, and the Milky Way better. When the Moon is above the horizon, the moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars and planets.
“When the Moon is close to new, it’s also mostly below the horizon during the night. So this time of the month, where the Moon is nearly new, is a great time to go observe all the other stuff in the night sky.”
Why do you think these events capture people’s attention?
He said: “Astronomical events capture the attention of people because we’ve always told stories and made myths about the things in the night sky. The bright red planet is named after blood-red Mars, the god of war.
“We named the beautiful planet visible in the morning and evening after Venus, the Roman goddess of beauty. Now we know more, of course: Mars is reddish because its surface contains rust, and Venus is actually a sulfurous hellscape hot enough to melt lead thanks to a runaway greenhouse effect.
“But knowing what the planets and stars really are, and how they work, doesn’t mean that we can’t also think of the myths. So, I think astronomy captures people’s attention because it is a kind of bridge between two of the greatest accomplishments of humanity: fiction and mythology, and science.”