A new moon occurs when the moon sits between Earth and the sun, so the side facing us is entirely in shadow. Unlike a full moon, a new moon isn't something you can look up and see — it's defined by absence, not by a visible shape in the sky.
Why new moons are good for stargazing
With no moonlight washing out the sky, new moon nights (and the few nights around them) offer the darkest skies of the month — the best window for viewing faint stars, the Milky Way, or meteor showers, assuming you're away from city light pollution.
Black moon
"Black moon" is an informal, relatively modern term (not an official astronomical one) used two different ways: either the third new moon in a season that has four new moons instead of the usual three, or the second new moon in a single calendar month — the new-moon counterpart to a blue moon. Both are somewhat rare, occurring roughly once every 29–33 months depending on the definition used.
New moons and eclipses
Solar eclipses can only happen at a new moon, when the moon passes directly between Earth and the sun. As with full moons and lunar eclipses, this only happens when the alignment is close enough to the moon's orbital plane — which is why solar eclipses are occasional rather than monthly, and why they're often only visible from a narrow band of Earth.
New moons in lunar-based practice
In the yoga tradition this site describes, new moons are treated as a rest day like the full moon, but with a different quality — energy is considered to run low and inward, making it a better night for journaling intentions or quiet reflection than for setting ambitious plans into motion.
Check the homepage for the date of the next new moon, or see the full 2026 new moon calendar.