And When Is the Next Black Moon?
It鈥檚 a 鈥Black Moon鈥! This sounds ominous but it鈥檚 not. Find out what a Black Moon is, when the next Black Moon occurs, and special symbolism and folklore.
What is a Black Moon?
A Black Moon is a special kind of New Moon, just as a Blue Moon is a special kind of Full Moon. Neither are astronomical terms; both are catch phrases for an unusual lunar calendar occurrence. For this reason, the definition of a Black Moon can vary and may refer to鈥
- 鈥he second new Moon in a month. This is the definition of Black Moon that鈥檚 used most often, and it鈥檚 the most common (once every 29 months).
- 鈥he third new Moon in a season of four New Moons. Every season (spring, summer, fall, winter) has 3 months and 3 new Moons. However, occasionally (every 33 months), there is a season with 4 new Moons. In this case, the third New Moon is called a Black Moon.
- 鈥hen there are NO new Moons in a month (February). This can only happen in February since it鈥檚 the only calendar month that is shorter (28 days) than the lunar month. When there is not a new Moon in February, there will be two new Moons for both January and March. It鈥檚 a rare occurrence (every 19 years or so) and the next one isn鈥檛 until 2033.
- 鈥every new Moon, since we鈥檙e then seeing the Moon鈥檚 dark or black side.
When is the Next Black Moon?
If we go by the most popular 鈥渢wo new Moons in a single month鈥 definition, Black Moons are slightly rare, occurring once every 29 months (two to three years). The next Black Moons are:
Read Next
| Year | Date | Type |
| 2024 | December 30 | Second New Moon in a single calendar month |
| 2025 | August 23 | Third New Moon in a season with four New Moons |
Note: Black Moons vary by time zone. See the Moon phases for your location.
What Will You See During a Black Moon?
Black Moons are invisible, like all new Moons, so you won鈥檛 see the Moon itself!
Did You Know: The new Moon always rises near sunrise, and crosses the sky with the Sun during the day, so the glare of the Sun is too strong. See our handy chart on 鈥When Will the Moon Rise Tonight?鈥
Remember, there are four quarters of the Moon鈥攖he Moon phases. There鈥檚 usually a new Moon and a full Moon about once a month, because the Moon takes about a month to orbit Earth.
- With the 鈥渇ull Moon,鈥 the entire disk of the Moon is illuminated by the Sun (because the two celestial objects are on opposite sides of the sky).
- In contrast, the 鈥渘ew Moon鈥 has its dark side facing us. It鈥檚 not reflecting any of the Sun鈥檚 light because the Moon is lined up between the Earth and Sun. Only the far side of the is illuminated, and we can鈥檛 see this side from Earth.
See the Moon phases for your location here.
Stars Look Brighter
Although you can鈥檛 see the Black Moon, the good news is that a moonless sky is excellent for stargazing (since the Moon鈥檚 light won鈥檛 drown out the stars).
A day or two after the new Moon, you鈥檒l see the slim crescent Moon in the west after sunset. This is such a magical moment. Often you鈥檒l not only see the crescent but also the darkened area of the Moon鈥檚 disk shining dimly. The reflected light is called 鈥Earthshine.鈥&苍产蝉辫;
The Tides Are Stronger
The gravitational influence of the Moon creates tides. And when it鈥檚 the new Moon or full Moon, there is even more of an effect on tides.
This happens because the Sun, and Earth are in alignment at the times of the new or full moon. This creates extra-high high tides as well as very low, low tides鈥攂oth commonly called 鈥spring tides.鈥&苍产蝉辫;
Black Moon Influence
As the Black Moon is a new Moon, there are some special practices and folklore associated with this time of the lunar cycle.
- For example, according the age-old practice of Gardening by the Moon, one should plant vegetables that bear crops above ground during the light: from the day the Moon is new to the day it is full.
- There is also folklore about the new Moon and good luck. Some folks considered this to be a special time when any activities are more powerful and effective, and other believes this is a time when activities should not be conducted!
- Of course, there are also religions which follow a lunar calendar and pay special attention to the new Moon. After the Moon鈥檚 absence for a few days, it鈥檚 kind of a lunar rebirth. Thus, some cultures revolved ceremonies around that first appearance of the new Moon.
Bob Berman
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The New Moon or the 'Mysterious Celestial Orb'
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Hi I was up putting my cat out on July 21. When I looked up in the morning sky. Usually take sunrise pictures or sunsets so I had my camera with me. Anyways what I saw I thought was an eclipse, but turns out to be an black moon. I took pictures of it until it was almost totally the full moon covered. The a cloud went infront of it blocking out my picture taking. This was at 4:41 am Central standard time. I also was getting swarmed by mosquitos. I took some more pictures of this from my upstairs bedroom window after the cloud went away. I live in Vermilion Bay, Ontario. Canada.
I've taken pictures of the solar eclipse before too.
The article states that " the 鈥渘ew Moon鈥 has its dark side facing us." The dark side never faces us, that's why it's called the dark side.
The article does continue the explanation correctly, thank heavens.
The article is correct in referring to the Moon's dark side facing the Earth during a new Moon. You are thinking that the article refers to the *far* side of the Moon, which it does not. I am sure Rob Bergman is very careful in his terminology with "far side" vs "dark side".
When the Sun illuminates the moon, there are two sides: the dark side and the sunlit side. During the full Moon, the sunlit side faces the Earth; during the new Moon, the dark side faces the Earth.
My grandfather always call the New Moon "The Black Moon". Also, I would like to add my grandfathers other moon comment. When the moon looked like it was holding water, was not a good time to go fishing. When the moon looked like it was dumping water, was the best to go fishing. Last but not least, three days before and after a New Moon, or Full Moon were also good times to go fishing. Thanks for your time. Lee........
I like the idea of calling the new moon of every month a Black Moon. I hadn't heard anyone calling this occasion a Black Moon, but it sounds like a wonderful marketing opportunity - tee shirts, jewelry, beer....
