Uncommon Black Moon coming August 22-23!

The second of latest moon will fall at 6:06 UTC on August 23, 2025. That’s 1:06 a.m. CDT. Many will name this moon a Black Moon. Join EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd at 12:15 p.m. CDT (17:15 UTC) on Tuesday, August 19, as she talks concerning the function of Black Moons in astronomy! Watch within the participant above, or on YouTube.

Black Moon approaching August 22-23

When we’ve two full moons in a single month, we in astronomy name the 2nd one a Blue Moon. That’s a comparatively current identify and definition. The folklorist Philip Hiscock traced the modern usage of the term Blue Moon again into the twentieth century in a 1999 article. Now, it appears, journalists and astronomy buffs have begun utilizing the identify Black Moon for the 2nd new moon in a single month. We have a Black Moon developing on August 22-23, 2025 … however its definition, although nonetheless following the principles for Blue Moons, is barely totally different.

That is, a Blue Moon can additionally be the third of 4 full moons in a season. And so, apparently, can Black Moons. Who decides these items? We do! It’s folklore, not official astronomy. And meaning we, the people, determine.

So the following Black Moon is August 22-23. Blue Moons and Black Moons comply with the identical guidelines. And the fashionable definition for Blue Moons has been studied by skilled folklorists.

But the place did the time period Black Moon come from?

What is it?

Blue Moons and Black Moons have fully totally different histories. Blue Moons stemmed from a mistake in a 1946 article in Sky & Telescope journal. A author mistakenly quoted the Old Farmer’s Almanac, calling the 2nd of two full moons in a month a Blue Moon. And, within the Seventies and ’80s, different astronomy writers picked up this 2nd-full-moon-in-a-month definition and popularized it (learn concerning the popularization of Blue Moons in the Hiscock article).

But Black Moons didn’t actually make an look on the astronomy scene till … nicely, I’m undecided when … however extra lately than Blue Moons.

Still, I can recall studying about Black Moons in Sten Odenwald’s nice weblog The Astronomy Cafe some a long time in the past. How many a long time? That I couldn’t inform you. I attempted to seek out Sten to ask him, however couldn’t monitor him down. My recollection is that he mentioned the time period Black Moon got here from Wiccan tradition. And ChatGPT talked about that connection, too, after I requested it this weekend.

I’m additionally studying this yr – at the StarWalk website – that the expression Black Moon is used when there’s no new moon in a month. We sometimes do have a full moon and a brand new moon every month. I had not heard that definition of Black Moon, in all my 50 years of writing concerning the evening sky. But there you go. The people could have it!

When is it?

This 2025 seasonal Black Moon – in any other case generally known as this month’s new moon – will fall at 6:06 UTC (1:06 a.m. CDT) on August 23. So it’d fall on August 22 for you, relying in your time zone. A Black Moon – like every new moon – isn’t seen in Earth’s sky. The moon is new when it’s kind of between the Earth and solar for that month-to-month orbit. So, at each new moon, the moon travels shut in our sky to the solar. For all of Earth, it’s up in daylight and may’t be seen.

But new-moon-time is a superb time to stargaze, as a result of with out the moon within the sky, the evening is darker, and you’ll see extra stars. This is very true when you enterprise out to a dark-sky web site.

Black Moon enjoyable information

Monthly Black Moons occur about as soon as each 29 months. That’s the definition of a Black Moon because the 2nd of two new moons in a calendar month.

Seasonal Black Moons occur about as soon as each 33 months. That’s the definition of a Black Moon because the third of 4 new moons in a season.

The final seasonal Black Moon, previous to this August 2025 Black Moon, was May 19, 2023. And the following one shall be August 20, 2028.

The final month-to-month Black Moon was December 30-31, 2024. And the following month-to-month Black Moon shall be on August 31, 2027.

The identify Blue Moon will be deceptive. The moon doesn’t seem blue in coloration throughout these full moons. But the identify Black Moon is barely extra correct, as a result of you may’t see the moon within the evening sky (as a result of it’s up within the daytime!). Also, if you consider the physique of the moon itself … its darkened half is dealing with Earth on the time of latest moon.

More cool Black Moon occasions

We’ll have a tremendous Black Moon on August 20, 2028. It’ll be a brand new moon practically coinciding with perigee, the moon’s closest level to Earth for that month. Read about supermoons right here.

We’ll have three Black Moons in a row in 2033 if you’re okay with the definition that no new moon means a Black Moon. In different phrases, in 2033, the brand new moon of January 30 and March 30 would be the second in a month. And there shall be no new moon in February. That’s a black Moon triple whammy!

Bottom line: We’ll have a Black Moon on August 22-23, 2025. A Black Moon is a particular sort of new moon. Learn extra about Black Moons right here.

Source 1999: Folklore of the Blue Moon by Philip Hiscock

Source 2012: Where does the phrase ‘once in a Blue Moon’ come from? Sky and Telescope

Via TimeandDate

Via StarWalk