According to astronomers, the new moon is set to appear on Friday, 16th October at 19:31 UTC.
Ever looked at the moon and thought that it looks the same every day? Ever wondered when is the new moon going to appear? Well, truth be told moon stays the same but it changes its position and after a certain period it appears as new (in scientific terms). So in this article, we will share when is the new moon going to appear and how you can see it.
A moon goes to different phases in which its appearance to us might change. The first one is referred to as the new moon, followed by the first quarter, full moon, and the last quarter.
The first phase i.e. the new moon, occurs at a specific moment. You would be able to see this moon depending upon where you live on Earth.
If we talk about the location, the moon is in the middle of the sun and Earth. Its bright side is opposite to us as we can only see the shadowed side. Since the moon doesn’t glow on its own, it appears dim to us.
So the moon at this phase typically is not visible to the naked eye. However, it could be seen with the help of some special equipment like a binocular or a telescope.
The next step is called the Waxing Crescent and this comes a few days after the moon when the sun reflects directly on it and a fine silver line is visible.
After several days of this moon, the moon enters into its second phase called the first quarter.
As the estimated time that requires the moon to orbit around Earth is, to be precise, 29.5 days, so this moon occurs once a month. Usually, there are a total of 12 moons in a year but there can be an exception as our calendar and astronomy are not completely aligned.
This type of moon is associated to move with the sun across the sky. So basically, wherever the sun goes, it goes with it. The phenomenon, Solar Eclipse, does occur a few days in the period of a new moon but it does not need to happen at every new moon.
Some people name the moon, which appears after dusk, in the west as a thin crescent. The scientists call it the young moon.
This is a very important time for some people. For example, the Chinese lunisolar calendar begins with this moon. Many cultures also have several holidays that are determined by the date of this moon.
The new moon is associated with ‘gardening by the moon’. The reason behind this is that it is recommended that the vegetables should be planted at this time of the month for some good reason.
In astronomy, this means the starting of a fresh lunar cycle. The term ‘moon’ is originated from a Latin word that means ‘to measure the months’. So it serves as the purpose of being a reference to the period of the month.
You would be able to see this moon this year, on November, 14th and December 14th on which solar eclipse would also take place.
