Even though the new moon is unseen tonight, its importance is still great.
Given that nothing can be seen from Earth, we don't frequently get excited about a new moon from a skywatching standpoint. When the moon is new, the lit side is facing away from us, so all we can see is darkness. The new moon tonight, though, is an especially noteworthy one.
Since 1030, this new moon has been the closest to Earth. According to Timeanddate.com(opens in new tab), which combed through data from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to calculate the distances of every Earth-moon distance for hundreds of years, the moon will be precisely 221,561 miles (356,568 km) away from our planet at 3:54 p.m. EST (2054 GMT).
The moon's orbit, which is elliptical rather than circular, causes it to move constantly in relation to Earth. The following new moon will occur on January 20, 2368, and it will be 6 miles (9 km) closer than this one. The average distance to the moon, in contrast, is 238,855 miles (384,400 km).
If this moon were full, we would classify it as a supermoon because they seem larger and brighter in the sky when the moon is close to perigee, or its closest point to Earth during its orbit. However, due to the new moon, the sky will be completely dark. However, this "invisible" supermoon will still have an effect on the tides; somewhere around this time, Earth will experience a king tide, or an abnormally high tide.
However, this moon is unique for another reason: it heralds the Lunar New Year, a significant event observed across Asia, especially in China. According to the Chinese zodiac, a 12-year cycle in which each year is symbolised by a different animal, this year is the year of the rabbit. Friends and family will get together over delicious food and good laughs, with plenty of good luck to go around, all throughout Asia and in Asian communities around the world.
If you don't already have everything you need to observe the night sky up close during the new moon, start by reading our recommendations to the finest telescopes and best binoculars. Check out our articles on the finest cameras and lenses for astrophotography if you want to capture the night sky in the best possible light.
Under the terms of a Creative Commons licence, this article has been taken from SPACE. Go here to read the original article.
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