What Is a Black Moon and When Is the Next One in 2025?
On August 23, 2025, a Black Moon will occur. Let’s explore what a Black Moon is and why stargazers should enjoy them. Also, download Sky Tonight to conveniently track all the New Moons and Full Moons with a handy lunar calendar.
Contents
- When is the Black Moon: calendar through 2033
- What is a Black Moon?
- Next Black Moons by type
- Everything people ask about the Black Moon
- Rare Black Moon events
- Black Moon: to sum up
When is the Black Moon: calendar through 2033
When will the next Black Moon occur? This quick-reference calendar highlights all the upcoming Black Moons through 2033.
- Seasonal Black Moon: August 23, 2025
- Calendrical Black Moon: August 31, 2027
- Seasonal Black Moon: August 20, 2028
- Calendrical Black Moon: June 30, 2030
- Seasonal Black Moon: May 21, 2031
- Calendrical Black Moon: January 30, 2033
- No New Moon: February 2033
- Calendrical Black Moon: March 30, 2033
Curious what these terms mean, and why is a “No New Moon” still called a Black Moon? Read on for a breakdown of each Black Moon type and why they occur.
What is a Black Moon?
The term “Black Moon” isn’t a formal astronomical designation. Instead, it refers to one of several rare New Moon patterns.
Calendrical Black Moon
The lunar calendar closely aligns with Earth's calendar year. That’s why we usually have one Full Moon and one New Moon each month. Occasionally, there can be the second New Moon within a single calendar month, which can be called a calendrical Black Moon.
Seasonal Black Moon
Alternatively, a Black Moon can be seasonal, when an extra New Moon occurs in an astronomical season. Typically, each season contains three New Moons, but when a season experiences four New Moons, the third one is designated as a Black Moon.
A month with no New Moon
Also, this expression is used when there’s no New Moon in a month. This can only happen in February because it is the only calendar month that is shorter than a lunar month.
Next Black Moons by type
It’s hard to say when the next Black Moon will occur because this definition isn’t fixed and might refer to different Moon phases. Here are all the possible answers depending on the definitions mentioned above:
- The New Moon of August 23, 2025, might be called Black as it will be the third out of four New Moons of that season;
- On August 31, 2027, we’ll see the Black Moon, which is the second New Moon in a single calendar month;
- There will be no New Moon in February 2033, which falls under the third definition of Black Moon given above. By the way, this is an extremely rare event – next time it will only occur in February 2052!
Everything people ask about the Black Moon
Is Black Moon a New Moon?
Most of the time, yes, a Black Moon is a specific type of New Moon, based on its timing within the month or season. However, there’s one rare exception: a Black Moon can also refer to a month with no New Moon at all.
Is Black Moon a Full Moon?
No, a Black Moon is typically a New Moon. However, in very rare cases, a Black Moon refers to an event when there’s no Full Moon in a month. This occurs once every 19 years: the last Black Moon of that kind occurred in 2018, and the next time will be in 2037. In that context, the term refers to the absence of a Full Moon, not the presence of one.
Is Black Moon the same as Dark Moon?
Unlike “Black Moon”, the term “Dark Moon” may refer to any New Moon as it denotes the period when the Moon is close to the Sun and is invisible to the naked eye. Astronomers of the past used the term “New Moon” to denote both the waxing crescent and a completely dark lunar disk. To avoid confusion, they would say "Dark Moon" when referring to the moon that is not illuminated. The term is sometimes used nowadays.
How often does a Black Moon occur?
Black Moons are rather rare. Calendrical Black Moons occur roughly every 29 months, making it the most common type of Black Moon. Seasonal Black Moons occur approximately once every 33 months. The third type of a Black Moon, when there is no New Moon in the month, is extremely rare: it only happens once every 19 years.
Can you see a Black Moon?
A Black Moon is not the best object for observation. According to the definitions above, a Black Moon is a particular New Moon. During its new phase, the Moon always faces the Earth with its unlit side and therefore is invisible to us. In other words, you can’t see a Black Moon. The most attentive observers might only notice the disappearance of the stars occulted by the lunar disk in the night sky.
Although we can’t see the Moon itself on a Black Moon night, this event provides some of the darkest skies of the month, perfect for observing planets, stars, deep-sky objects, and the Milky Way. Explore our Bortle scale infographic to learn how your sky’s darkness level affects what you can see – from bright constellations to faint galaxies.
Rare Black Moon events
Black Super Moon in 2028
A Supermoon occurs when the New or Full Moon coincides with the perigee – the Moon’s closest approach to the Earth. But can a Supermoon also be a Black Moon? Yes!
On August 20, 2028, the third New Moon of the season will approach the Earth closer than usual. Although the event will not be observable, like any other New Moons, “Black Super Moon” still sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?
Want to dive deeper into what makes a Moon “super”? Read our full guide on Supermoons to learn why size matters, when to look up, and how to spot the most impressive lunar displays.
Three Black Moons in 2033
In the first three months of 2033, most of the globe will have three Black Moons in a row. That year, the New Moons of January 30 and March 30 will be the second in a month, and in February, there will be no New Moon.
Black Moon: to sum up
"Black Moon" is not a unified term used in astronomy. It can define the second New Moon in a calendar month, or the third New Moon in an astronomical season. Sometimes this expression is used when there’s no New Moon in a month. The next Black Moon will occur on August 23, 2025. For an observer, a Black Moon is not any different from some other New Moon. By the way, some astronomers specifically plan their observations around the New Moon, because dim objects such as stars, planets, nebulae, and galaxies are better seen in a moonless sky. You can follow their lead and track the phases of the Moon with the easy-to-use calendar in the Sky Tonight app.
Explore the Blue Moon – Black Moon’s twin
While the Black Moon marks an invisible moment in the lunar cycle, its better-known counterpart – the Blue Moon – lights up the sky with a rare extra Full Moon. Curious about what makes the Moon “Blue”, and when to see the next one? Don’t miss our article on the Blue Moon to explore its meaning and upcoming dates.
Discover the other colors of the Moon
From Black Moons to Blue Moons, and even Blood Moons and Pink Moons, the Moon seems to have an entire wardrobe of names and colors. But how well do you know what they all actually mean? Take our Colors of the Moon quiz to see how many Moon types you can match to their real meanings – and maybe learn something surprising along the way.
We wish you clear skies and happy observations!
