INDIANA — A rare astronomical event known as a Black Moon is set to take place on August 23, though skywatchers won’t be able to see it. The event is a new moon, the lunar phase when the moon’s illuminated side faces away from Earth, making it invisible to us.

The term Black Moon is not an official astronomical term, but is used to describe an extra new moon in a season that typically has only three. This particular Black Moon is defined as the third new moon in a season that contains four full moons. The current summer season in the Northern Hemisphere has new moons on June 25, July 23, August 23, and September 21.

The moon will officially reach its new moon phase at 2:06 a.m. EDT on August 23. This type of Black Moon happens approximately once every 33 months.

While the Black Moon

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