It’s the New Moon tonight, and a partial solar eclipse in parts of the world. Skygazers in New Zealand, Antarctica, and the South Pacific will see part of the Sun covered, lit up in a crescent shape.
Solar eclipses only occur at the New Moon phase of the lunar cycle (a series of eight unique phases of the moon’s visibility), because that’s the only time the Moon is positioned directly between the Earth and the Sun, allowing it to cast a shadow on Earth.
So, what else is happening with tonight’s New Moon?
What is today’s moon phase?
As of Sunday, Sept. 21, the moon phase is New Moon, meaning it is not visible at all to us on Earth. NASA’s Daily Moon Observation confirms this, saying there is officially 0% visibility tonight. With this in mind, you won’t be shocked to hear that there won’t be anything for you to see on its surface tonight. But from tomorrow, the moon will start to reappear again.
When is the next full moon?
The next full moon will be on Oct. 6. The last full moon was on Sept. 7.
What are moon phases?
According to NASA, moon phases are caused by the 29.5-day cycle of the moon’s orbit, which changes the angles between the Sun, Moon, and Earth. Moon phases are how the moon looks from Earth as it goes around us. We always see the same side of the moon, but how much of it is lit up by the Sun changes depending on where it is in its orbit. This is how we get full moons, half moons, and moons that appear completely invisible. There are eight main moon phases, and they follow a repeating cycle:
Mashable Light Speed
New Moon – The moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it’s invisible to the eye).
Waxing Crescent – A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).
First Quarter – Half of the moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-moon.
Waxing Gibbous – More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.
Full Moon – The whole face of the moon is illuminated and fully visible.
Waning Gibbous – The moon starts losing light on the right side.
Last Quarter (or Third Quarter) – Another half-moon, but now the left side is lit.
Waning Crescent – A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.
