August Is Ending With a Super New Moon

Look up early in the morning of Friday, August 30, 2019, and you won't see anything but an especially dark sky. That's because the moon is entering the "new" phase of its cycle, meaning it's not visible to the naked eye. Even though you can't see it, this upcoming super new moon marks one of the biggest lunar events of the year, and its effects on the tides will be felt around the world, Forbes reports.

What is a super new moon?

The moon follows a 29.5-day lunar cycle, starting with a new moon and ending with a full moon. As the body orbits the Earth, it moves in and out of our planet's shadow, appearing more or less visible each night. A new moon occurs when the moon falls between the Earth and the sun and its near side is totally dark.

New moons happen regularly, but this upcoming event is special. It's also a supermoon. A moon becomes "super" when it reaches its perigee, or the point in its orbit closest to Earth. On Friday night, the supermoon and the new moon will coincide.

Typically, supermoons are a chance to see the moon at its largest in the night sky, but that won't be the case this week. The super new moon will make its presence known in other ways. Tides are always strongest when the moon is closest to Earth. When the moon enters its new phase, it will have the extra gravitational pull of the sun literally backing it up, resulting in super-charged "king" tides across the half of the Earth it's facing. The teamed-up forces of both celestial bodies will be so strong that the normally placid River Severn in the UK could flow backwards and see 32-foot waves.

When is the super new moon?

The new moon will reach its darkest stage at 6:37 a.m. EST on Friday, August 30. If you go out expecting to see the moon, you'll be disappointed, but the dark sky will create optimal conditions for stargazing. Here are some of the best places on Earth to look at the stars.

[h/t Forbes]