Photo of an almost new moon. A misconception is that a new moon has a sliver of light shining. Technically, the new moon is one that is completely darkened by the shadow of the Earth as it passes between the moon and sun every 29.53 days.

(Mark Garlick Words and Pictures Ltd/Getty Images)

At a Glance

Stargazers in the Western Hemisphere will be treated to a Black Moon on Friday.A Black Moon is a second new moon in a single month, season or year.

Stargazers are having an exceptional month when it comes to the moon this September. After the earlier this month, night sky enthusiasts will be treated to a Black Moon when the new moon rises later this week.

Some of you might besayingto yourselves: aren't all new moons black? And, yes, you would be correct, because the occurs when the sun and moon are aligned on the same side of the Earth, so the side of the moon facing Earth is not illuminated by the sun. The new moon derives its name because it is the beginningof the monthly lunar cycle that lasts 29.53 days.

The Black Moon is a very different sort of moon. It occurs about every 32 months and is It is similar to a Blue Moon, which is the second full moon in a single month, season or year, according to Space.com.

Interestingly, only residents in the Western Hemisphere will enjoy a Black Moon this September, which will officially take place by 8:11 p.m. EDT , Nature World News reported.

For those in the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly Asia, Australia, Africa and Europe, the new moon doesn't occur until after midnight, so it's technically just a regular old new moon for that part of the world, since it occurs on the first of next month.