December is coming to an end with a “black moon” on the night of Monday, December 30th, but anyone hoping to see this phenomenon will be out of luck.
That’s because a black moon refers to the second new moon in a calendar month, and a new moon is invisible to the naked eye from Earth. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, new moons occur year-round, but two new moons in a calendar month occur only about once every 29 months.
The moon will gradually become more visible over the next few days, reaching its waxing quarter stage by January 6 and becoming full by January 13, NASA said.
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, there are actually several types of black moons, so those hoping to catch another one won’t have to wait very long. Some people use the term to refer to the third new moon in a season with four new moons. This type of black moon is rarer than the more common definition, occurring once every 33 months. The next Black Moon based on this definition will be on August 23rd.
The term black moon is also used when a month does not have a new moon, but new moons only occur in February due to their short length. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, this happens about every 19 years, with the next time being in 2033.
Some even use the term black moon to refer to all new moons, because during the new moon phase, the illuminated surface of the moon is invisible from Earth.
The lunar calendar roughly corresponds to the calendar year, so most months have one full moon and one new moon. But just as there can be two new moons in a month, there can also be two full moons in a month, and the second full moon in a month is called a blue moon. It is considered. Just as the black moon has multiple meanings, the blue moon also refers to the third full moon in a season of four full moons.
According to TimeAndDate.com, there will be no monthly or seasonal blue moons in 2025. The next monthly blue moon will be on May 31, 2026, and the next seasonal blue moon will be on May 20, 2027. Dates vary depending on time zone.
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