The new moon of May 2024 will see the bright constellations of summer begin to rise just as those of winter sink below the horizon. The same night, Saturn, Mars and (for observers in more equatorial latitudes) Mercury will grace the predawn skies.
The timing of lunar phases depends on the position of the moon relative to Earth, rather than one’s position on the Earth’s surface. This is why the time the new moon (or any other phase) happens is based on one’s longitude and time zone.
The new moon of May occurs on May 7 at 11:22 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (0322 UTC May 8), in New York, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. While the moon reaches the new phase at nearly midnight in New York, it happens at 8:22 p.m. in Los Angeles. As one moves east the date moves to May 8; in Cape Town it is at 5:22 a.m., and in New Delhi it is at 8:52 a.m., while in Tokyo it is in the afternoon, at 1:22 p.m.
Related: What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2024
The new moon phase happens when the moon is directly between Earth and the sun. During this phase, they share a celestial longitude, a projection of the Earth’s longitude lines on the sky, in an arrangement also called a conjunction.
If the sun and the moon line up perfectly the result is a solar eclipse; the next is due on Oct. 2.
That does not happen most of the time, as the moon’s orbit is slightly tilted – about 5 degrees – relative to the plane of Earth’s orbit. So seeing the moon in its new phase won’t be possible, because of the sun’s glare and the fact that the moon is facing away from us; even if we could see it, we’d be looking at the dark side which would just be black on a black background.
Visible planets
On the day of the new moon, the sun sets at 7:59 p.m. in New York, per the U.S. Naval Observatory. As one moves north the sun sets later; moving south the opposite happens and it sets earlier; at this time of year the longer days that mark the Northern Hemisphere summer start to become readily apparent. For example in Seattle, which is only seven degrees of latitude north of New York City, the sun sets at 8:31 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. Meanwhile in Miami it is at 7:56 p.m. local time.
Sunset gets earlier as one moves south because in the tropics, meaning between latitudes 23.5 degrees north (the Tropic of Cancer) and 23.5 degrees south (the Tropic of Capricorn), the day length doesn’t change much…
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