Black moon coming Wednesday night
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH)– You’ve probably heard of a blue moon before but later Wednesday night the Western Hemisphere is in store for a black moon.
The second full moon in a month is often referred to as a blue moon. A black moon is the second new moon in a month. The new moon occurs when the sun, moon and Earth are aligned — making the moon appear to be invisible from Earth.
Due to the lunar cycle, there is usually one new moon and one blue moon each month. However there are occasions where we see two full or new moons each month.
Blue moons occur about every 2.5 years while black moons occur about every 2.7 years.
Wednesday night’s black moon will occur at 11:13 p.m. but only in the Western Hemisphere. In other areas of the world like Europe, the new moon occurs after midnight, meaning it’s Aug. 1st and a new month.
While this moon isn’t technically a “supermoon” it’s pretty close. The moon’s perigee — the moon’s closest point to Earth — is on Aug. 2.