The end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan will witness a rare type of moon that will generate a solar eclipse on April 30 and herald two more celestial events, Saturday. Eid-Ul-Fitr falls on May 1(Sunday) or May 2(Monday” depending on the first sighting of the crescent moon phase. The new moon of April is the tenth month of the lunar-based Islamic calendar also called the Shawwal moon will also witness a close approach of Jupiter and Venus before sunrise on April 30 in the U.S. Moreover, the Eta Aquarid meteor shower is expected after Eid on May 4 and 5.
What is Black moon?
Black moon is a name given to various new moons or absences, within a year. Astronomy doesn’t have an official term called the black moon but the term has been made popular by social media, astrologers, and followers of the Wiccan religion.
According to timeanddate.com, it can be the third new moon in an astronomical season with four new moons or the second new moon of the same calendar month.
The April black moon will produce a solar eclipse as it briefly passes across a part of the sun from Earth’s point of view. The partial solar eclipse at the end of this month will be seen clearly from parts of Antarctica, the southern tip of South America, and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
The eclipse will begin at 1845 GMT (12.15 am Saturday), when it will be first visible to skywatchers in the areas of visibility. The maximum eclipse will be witnessed at 2041 GMT (approx 1.30 a.m IST), with the eclipse ending at 2237 GMT, (approx 4 a.m IST) according to TimeandDate.com. Roughly 64% of the sun’s disk will be eclipsed according to NASA.
Moreover, at sunrise on April 30 in the U.S, you’ll be able to see Venus and Jupiter in rare conjunction, as the planets assemble for an epic five-world lineup visible in June.
On May 4 and 5, remnants from Comet Halley can be seen slamming into the atmosphere to produce the Eta Aquarids. With the moon just a few days past its new phase, the meteor shower should be a pretty good show.