What is a Black Moon

In some languages of Nordic people there are more than a dozen definitions for “snow” that shows a role the snow plays in their life. Something similar happens to the Moon, though we have one word “Moon” we love diversifying it as Blue Moon, Cold Moon, Super Moon, Red Moon, Black Moon… In recent years the term “Black Moon” has been made rather popular by astrologers and followers of some religions, at the same time Black Moon is not well known in the astronomy world where there is even no single accepted definition of Black Moon.

In Astronomy this term has been commonly used to refer to any of the following phenomena associated with the New Moon:

Second New Moon in a calendar month: These Black Moons occur relatively often, once every 2.5 years;

Third New Moon in a season of four New Moons. Astronomers divide a year into four seasons – spring, summer, fall (autumn) and winter. Usually, each season has 3 months and 3 New Moons. When a season has 4 New Moons, the 3rd New Moon is called Black Moon;

Calendar month without a New Moon. This can only happen in the month of February. When this occurs, January and March have two New Moons, instead of the usual one New Moon – this case was mentioned in The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton as a mystic period of time when the most unexpected things can happen;

Calendar month without a Full Moon. About once every 19 years, the month of February does not have a Full Moon. Instead, January and March have two Full Moons each – also looks quite mysterious.

Interestingly, all these cases refer to beyond the scope Moon natural position, and we have a chance to see whether the Black Moons coincide with some events here on Earth

30 Oct 2016        Second New Moon in a single calendar month, Black Moon rose and just in a few days Donald Trump appeared to the world as Mr. American President

21 Aug 2017        Third New Moon in a season with four New Moons, nothing much seems 

Feb 2018              Calendar month without a Full Moon, the Play that went wrong

30 Aug 2019        Second New Moon in a single calendar month, one status woman on Earth started impeachment against Mr. American President… unsuccessfully, as it turned out later 

19 Aug 2020        Third New Moon in a season with four New Moons, on August 20th Mr. Russian President’s main opponent was poisoned in Russia… In addition, these days there was the Democratic National Convention in the USA where the potential President introduced the potential Vice-President

30 Apr 2022         Second New Moon in a single calendar month <==> 6N Solar eclipse, the Black Moon Solar eclipse spawned the most dangerous man in the world… Putin 

19 May 2023        Third New Moon in a season with four New Moons