The new moon is either a moonless night or the first sliver of a moon.
In astrology, it represents the start of a new cycle.
September 2020 New Moon
The next new moon over New York City is Tuesday, August 18 at 10:41pm.
The New Moon
The new moon occurs when the moon is between the sun and the earth.
It is hard to see because it rises during the day and is lit only by reflected earth light. But that means you get the best views of the night sky during the new moon.
Some cultures consider the new moon to be the first waxing crescent.
Photographing the Sky under the New Moon
The new moon is a great time to photograph the sky.
To photograph the sky, put the camera on a tripod. Use a remote or timed shutter. Use a high ISO (such as 3200). Use the fastest wide-angle lens you have (lowest f-stop such as f/2.8 or lower). Set the aperture as wide open as you can (lowest f-stop).
Use a long exposure such as 20-30 seconds. The earth is always turning so you have to experiment with the longest exposure length that doesn’t make star trails from the earth’s movement.
You can try focusing on a bright star. You may have to stop down (higher aperture) for sharpness.
Some of the new cameras see better in the dark than the human eye, so you can get some truly stunning photos – even over New York City.
If you are trying to photograph the Milky Way, February through September are the best times of the year. That is when the part of the Milky Way that is easiest to see is in the sky over the northern hemisphere.
New Moons over New York City
Times are when the new moon is newest (at its highest point between the sun and the earth). The times may be during the day. Your best new moon photographs are at new moons that occur during the night.
New Moons in 2020
- Thursday, September 17 at 7am (day)
- Friday, October 16 at 3:31pm (day)
- Sunday, November 15 at 12:07am
- Monday, December 14 at 11:16am (day)
New Moons in 2021
- Sunday, January 24 at 4:42pm
- Tuesday, February 23 at 10:32am
- Wednesday, March 24 at 5:28am
- Thursday, April 22 at 10:25pm (night)
- Saturday, May 22 at 1:38pm
- Monday, June 21 at 2:41am (night)
- Tuesday, July 20 at 1:32pm
- Wednesday, August 18 at 10:41pm (night)
- Monday, September 27 at 7am
- Saturday, October 16 at 3:31pm
- Monday, November 15 at 12:07am (night)
- Tuesday, December 14 at 11:16am