September New Moon: When is the New Moon? When will the Moon disappear this month?

A New Moon is the stellar opposite of a Full Moon – a moment when the Moon completely vanishes from sight.

On the night of the New Moon, the lunar orb peaks over the horizon without a single ray of sunlight illuminating its face.

This happens because the Moon is directly positioned between the Earth and the Sun and is not visible to the naked eye.

The New Moon marks the start of the new lunar cycle, from New Moon to Full Moon, and typically peaks around halfway through the month.

When is the September New Moon?

This month stargazers will see the Moon vanish before their eyes on the night of Sunday, September 9.

The New Moon comes six days after the Third Quarter Moon phase and precedes the so-called Harvest Full Moon by exactly two weeks.

In the UK, the darkened Moon is expected to peak just after 7pm BST, about 30 minutes before the Sun sets.

In London, the New Moon rises at 72 degrees at 5.38am BST and sets by 7.54pm BST.

Further up north in Glasgow, the Moon rises at 5.45am BST and then sets in the evening at 8.09pm BST.

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, in New York, the New Moon rises over the horizon at 6.07am ET and sets at 7.34pm ET.

On the US East Coast, in Los Angeles, the Moon will be visible between 6.21am PDT and 7.31pm PDT.

If you live in India’s New Delhi, you will get to see the Moon between 5.17am IST and 6.33pm IST.

But you will not be able to see the New Moon unaided at night.

During the New Moon phase, the Earth’s lunar satellite enters so-called Syzygy in the Sun-Earth-Moon system.

This means the Sun, the Moon and the Earth are aligned in a straight line and the dark side of the Moon is facing the Earth.

The opposite happens during a Full Moon when the Earth is directly between the Sun and the Moon and the lunar orb is fully illuminated.

Your best bet is to watch the orb on the nights preceding and following the New Moon, when it appears to be a thin, crescent-shaped sliver of light.

These phases of the Moon are known as the “waxing crescent” and “waning crescent” phases.

After this, the September Full Moon will peak on the night of Tuesday, September 25.

The Full Moon is sometimes referred to as the Harvest Moon thanks to the traditions of Native American tribes.