This Weekend's Black Moon: What You Will (And Won't) Be Able To See

People across the world can look forward to seeing a black moon this weekend. Well... maybe not so much.

"It’s a little bit more of a hoax, of 'great, what am I going to see' — well, you see it every month! Its called a new moon. [A black moon] is just two new moons in one month, that’s all it is. So, sorry to disappoint," Jim Roselli, the president of the New Jersey Astronomy Association, told Patch with a laugh.

"Once every 32 months, you have in a single month, two new moons, then it's called a black moon," Roselli explained. The last black moon was in March of 2014.

A new moon is when no light is reflected off the surface of the moon. "Full moons are very, very bright, completely illuminated with light [...] so the inverse of that is called a new moon, where there’s basically no light coming from the moon," Roselli told Patch.

Some Pagan religions believe that rituals are more significant during black moons, and astrology buffs are predicting changes to go with the new moon, according to your astrology sign.

Unfortunately, because black moons are really just the second time in a month the moon doesn't reflect light, there isn't a whole lot of moon to look at.

Fans of outer space, no need to fret: The second new moon this month provides more opportunities to look at the stars.

"It’s the best night for astrophotographers, because there’s no illumination from the moon, and therefore it’s our opportunity to take good pictures," Roselli said. Light pollution — or all the extra light that hangs around in the sky, including that from the moon — can dampen the stars and make them harder to see.

Any place away from a city or bright lights is best to view the stars during a new or black moon, Roselli said. You can find a dark place near you using Dark Site Finder, a website that shows how much light pollution is in any particular area.

Image by Windslash via Flickr