A purportedly rare “black moon” event is slated for this weekend — August 22 and 23.
What is a black moon, and what does it mean for stargazers?
Not a whole lot, it turns out — at least, in lunar terms.
Northeastern University astrophysicist Jonathan Blazek breaks it all down. His comments have been edited for brevity and clarity.
So, cosmologically speaking, what exactly is a black moon — and how is it different from, say, a blue moon?
A ‘black moon’ is not an official astronomical term, and it does not refer to anything unusual happening from a physical perspective. Instead, like the term ‘blue moon,’ it refers to the timing of the lunar cycle with respect to our calendar. These two methods of tracking time are fairly similar — indeed, several cultures continue to use lunar calendars — but there is a slight difference in periods.
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