Stargazers can witness a rare lunar event this Friday, Sept. 30, called Black Moon.
The last few months, the sky was stunningly bombarded with rare astronomical and lunar phenomena such as the harvest moon, blood moon and much more. This Friday, the sky will be graced by another rare lunar even called a Black Moon and not everyone on Earth can see it.
But how rare is the black moon and why is it creating a frenzy in the astronomical community? During a black moon, the moon is blocked by the Earth's shadow; this makes it more difficult to see. The shadow the envelops the moon is the reason why it is called Black Moon. To simplify, CS Monitor said it is the opposite of a Blue Moon.
How rare it is then? Experts say that the next black moon will occur in 2024. Black moons only occur when there are two full moons in a month. This unusual event happens once every 32 months. Because of this, the black moon phenomena happen at different times of the year.
The Western Hemisphere is lucky because the Black Moon can easily be spotted there. In Britain it will appear at 1:10 am on Oct. 1. But in the U.S. the peak of the black moon is expected to happen at around 8:00 pm on Friday, Sept.30. However, the other side of the world won't be able to see their version of the black moon not until next month, which coincides with Halloween.
But since it is called a black moon, those fortunate enough to be located in areas where the event will be visible, please be reminded that the lunar phenomenon is a bit difficult to spot. The shadow that casts over the moon makes it more difficult, sometimes even impossible to spot the moon during this time. The clouds in the sky can also act as obstacles when viewing the Black Moon. So patience is greatly advised.