A rare ‘black moon’ to end 2024: Here’s what to expect | – Times of India
Good news for astrophiles! Before we bid goodbye to 2024, we could see a rare astronomical event lighting up the night sky. On December 30-31, a rare ‘black moon’ will illuminate the sky.
What is a black moon?
You must have heard about the blue moon, which is the third full moon in a season that has four full moons. The colour has nothing to do with the name, and the name isn’t really an astronomical term either. Though there are several different definitions of a Black Moon, it usually refers to when there are two new Moons in a single calendar month.
Our Moon takes approximately 29.53 days to orbit the Earth and complete one lunar cycle. This way the first new Moon falls on the 1st of the month in our Gregorian calendar, and the second appears towards the end of the month, and is known as the Black Moon. A Black Moon is just the opposite of a Blue Moon when there are two full Moons in a single calendar month.
New Moons happen when the sun and the moon share the same celestial longitude, a position called conjunction. The moon is not visible during this phase unless there’s a solar eclipse, as the illuminated side faces away from Earth. The New Moon nights are quite remarkable for astronomers, as the sky is dark, and is ideal for observing faint celestial objects. The winter nights in North America have clearer skies due to dry air, which enhances visibility through telescopes.
When does the Black Moon appear?
According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, the second new moon of December will occur on Dec. 30 at 5:27 p.m. ET (2227 GMT). The new moon occurs at 4:26 p.m. CST (22:26 UTC) on December 30, 2024, which falls on December 30 for the Americas and December 31 for Europe, Africa, and Asia. After the upcoming sighting, which is on December 30, the next Black Moon will appear in August 2025, which will be the third New Moon in a season out of four.
Though this astronomical event is rare, it isn’t visible in our sky. Like any new Moon, a Black Moon occurs when the Moon is positioned between the Earth and the Sun, with the Sun-lit side facing away from Earth, making it difficult to see. However, it is still good news for stargazers, as the absence of moonlight allows stars to appear brighter. Moonlight is often strong enough to obscure incoming meteor showers, but without it, the night sky offers a clearer view.
