Residents of Russia will be able to observe a rare astronomical phenomenon — the "black" Moon (the second new moon). The Earth's satellite will appear in the sky in a new "light" on December 31, 2024, which happens 3-4 times a century. This was reported in the press service of Novosibirsk State University (NSU) with reference to the Educational Astrophysical Automated Complex of the university.
Usually, the Moon goes through four phases in a month - new moon, first quarter (waxing moon), full moon, and last quarter (waning moon). The difference in December this year is that the Earth's satellite will have time to enter the conditionally "fifth" phase of the month — that is, December 31 will be the second new moon.
As noted in NSU, the new moon cannot be seen with the naked eye, even if you know where the Moon is at that moment. Moving across the night sky, the Earth's satellite in different phases sometimes "covers" stars. This is called the Moon covering celestial objects located on its trajectory.
You can see a piece of the Moon only if there is a flash on the Moon at this time from a meteorite crashing into its surface, which happens about once an hour. However, you need a lot of patience, a telescope and a camera that constantly records video of the place where the Moon is currently located, which is not illuminated, in order to wait for this moment.
In addition, on January 4, 2025, the Moon is expected to cover Saturn, which will be visible in Central Russia. The very next day, in the evening, residents of Siberia will be able to observe the Moon covering Neptune.
Earlier, www1.ru reported that the Earth will have a second Moon for two months.
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