For basic information about how, when and where to experience North America’s total solar eclipse and why you must try to get yourself to the path of totality on April 8, check my main feed.
When is the next new moon? Today, the moon is invisible to us on Earth, passing roughly between Earth and the sun—something it does every 29 days as it begins a new orbital cycle.
A dark side of the moon? Not quite. At the new moon phase, only the far side of our natural satellite is illuminated by the sun, so we on Earth see nothing. The moon goes through different phases as it orbits Earth, the shape of the sunlit part of the moon waxing from a new moon to a full moon, then waning from a full moon to a new moon.
We may see nothing when the new moon occurs on Friday, February 9, at precisely 22:59 UTC (17:59 EST), but aside from it signaling the beginning of Chinese New Year—the “Year of the Dragon”—it will be 2024’s first of three “Super New Moons.”
Supermoon Seasons
You’ve heard about supermoons, those larger, brighter and more dramatic-looking full moons that cause a media frenzy three or four times a year? That will happen again this year, specifically on September 17 and October 17. However, supermoons can also occur at new moon—and that will happen three times in 2024:
- February 9: “Super New Snow Moon”
- March 10: “Super New Worm Moon”
- April 8: “Super New Pink Moon Total Solar Eclipse”
Supermoons Explained
The moon orbits Earth on a slightly elliptical path, so during any given orbit, it reaches a point when it’s closest and farthest. “A few times a year, it just so happens that we have a new moon that coincides with the moon being at a point in its orbit when it is closer to us,” said astrophysicist Dr. Paul Strøm, Assistant Professor, University of Warwick. “That is when people call it a ‘Super New Moon’.” Technically, it’s called a perigee-syzygy new moon and it can cause perigean spring tides, which have a larger variation than usual.
A full or new moon that occurs when the center of the moon is less than 223,694 miles (360,000 kilometers) from the center of Earth is called a supermoon, according to Timeanddate. February 9’s “Super New Moon” will be 222,914 miles (358,745 kilometers) away, according to AstroPixels.
April 8’s ‘Super New Moon Eclipse’
Today’s Super New Moon sets off a chain of three such events, the most notable of which will occur on April 8 and cause a total solar eclipse. Though every new moon passes roughly between the Earth and the sun, it’s rare for them to do so precisely, but this can only happen during a new moon. On April 8, the Super New Moon’s closeness to Earth means that as it passes precisely across the sun, its apparent size will be larger, so it will cast a 115-mile-wide shadow that will travel across 10,000 miles of the Earth’s surface.
If you’re inside that shadow—the path of totality—you’ll be enveloped in a surreal, ethereal twilight for a few minutes, and if there’s a clear sky, you’ll see the sun’s brilliant corona revealed. It’s the most spectacular natural sight and will stay with you forever.
The Super New Moon’s Shadow
The path of totality will cross parts of five states in Mexico (Sinaloa, Nayarit, Durango, Coahuila and Chihuahua), 15 U.S. states (Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine) and seven Canadian Provinces (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland).
In the U.S., totality will begin in Texas at 1:27 pm CDT and end in Maine at 3:35 pm EDT—a total of 68 minutes split between two timezones.
Solar eclipses occur because the moon’s orbital path intercepts what astronomers call the ecliptic—the apparent path the sun takes through our daytime sky. The moon’s orbital path is slightly inclined (by about 5º) to that ecliptic, intersecting it twice each month. These two points are called nodes. When a new moon occurs at one of these nodes, a solar eclipse occurs. When a full moon does, a lunar eclipse occurs.
I’m an expert on eclipses—the editor of WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com and author of The Complete Guide To The Great North American Eclipse of April 8, 2024. For the very latest on the total solar eclipse—including travel and lodging options—check my main feed for new articles each day.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
