Dark Moon
Written by Fraser Cain
Crescent Moon. Image credit: NASA
A dark moon is the time during the Moon's orbit around the Earth when it's invisible against the backdrop of the Sun in the sky. A new moon is the time when the side of the Moon illuminated by the Sun is facing away from Earth, and towards the Sun. Astronomers call this time "conjunction".
Although astronomers now consider a new moon to be the time when the Moon is right in the middle of its dark period, ancient people considered a new moon to be the time when the first crescent of brightness appeared on the side of the Moon – the time when the Moon was reborn for another cycle.
Want to see a schedule of upcoming new moons? Click here.
Want more information about the Moon? Here's NASA's World Book on the Moon. And here's NASA's Solar System Exploration Guide.
You can listen to a very interesting podcast about the formation of the Moon from Astronomy Cast, Episode 17: Where Did the Moon Come From?
Filed under: Astronomy
