Black moon 2019: What is it? Will I be able to see the new moon in the UK?

New month, new moon. 
A supermoon is visible from southern France on December 3, 2017.
Getty
Georgia Chambers29 August 2019

A black moon will make a rare appearance in our skies this week.

Sometimes referred to as a new moon, the lunar event occurs when there are two new moons within the space of a month.

As well as being an impressive astronomical phenomenon, a black moon also holds special significance for astrologists and certain religions and cultures.

Here’s everything you need to know about the return of the black moon this month:

What is a black moon?

A black moon is the term used to describe the second new moon of a month.

A typical lunar cycle takes around 29 days to complete, so there is usually one full moon and one new moon with each month. Because our months can be longer, sometimes – about every 32 months – we get two full moons or two new moons. A second full moon in a single calendar month is sometimes called a blue moon. The second new moon is called a black moon.

When is the next black moon?

For most of the Western Hemisphere, the next black moon will occur on Wednesday, July 31. In the UK, it officially appears at 3:13am on Thursday, August 1.

Will I be able to see it?

Unfortunately, a black moon is just that – which means it will be hardly visible to the naked eye.

A black moon happen at the time of the month when the moon passes through the same part of the sky as the sun, resulting in the moon’s dark side facing the Earth. So, if you head out in the hope of witnessing a celestial event, you will most likely be disappointed.

Super Worm Moon 2019 - in pictures

1/12

Why is a black moon significant?

For astrologists, the black moon brings forth a cleansing energy and represents a time to start anew with fresh goals in mind. Others believe the moon will bring all our darkest feelings to the surface and help with the purging process.

A black moon can also signal the start of festivities and new beginnings. A black moon that fell on September 30, 2016, was followed by a waxing crescent moon on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and by a crescent that marked the beginning of Muharram, the Islamic New Year.

In certain forms of Pagan religions, black moons hold special significance with followers believing that some actions become more potent when performed on the night of black moon.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in