Everything to Know About Wednesday's Rare Black Moon

Another day, another special celestial event you won't want to miss. Wednesday night will be special for lovers of the moon and stars as the rare lunar phenomenon known as the black moon is set to take place in Northy America at 11:13 p.m. ET. The phenomenon makes the second new moon in a given calendar month.

The Eastern Hemisphere will get the moon after midnight on Aug. 1, meaning it simply qualifies as the first new moon of the month and their black moon (as well as the U.S. West Coast's) will happen in the end of August. The phenomenon has not been seen since 2016.

The last time a black moon occurred in the Western Hemisphere was in September 2016. Before that, it hadn't been present in this part of the world since March 2014.

This celestial event will make the moon invisible, since its illuminated side will be facing away from the Earth, as new moons are known to be.

PEOPLE writes a black moon is the opposite of the more well-known a celebrated event known as the "blue moon," or the second full moon in a given calendar month.

A lunar cycle typically takes about 29 days to complete, but similar to a Leap Year, longer months make the event possible. About every 32 months, we get two full moons or two new moons. The second full moon in a month is called a blue moon, and the second new moon is called a black moon.

A black moon can also refer to a month where there are no new moons — only possible in February because of its fewer days. That type of event is less common and only occurs about once a decade.

Tonight's event is also interesting because the moon will also be a supermoon, meaning it will appear bigger than usual doe to its closer proximity to Earth. However, it is likely people will still not see it since it's a new moon.

Not seeing the moon might give astronomy fans a chance to see the stars better tonight, with WCPO Cincinnati writing that Wednesday can be the perfect time to do some stargazing, as the Milky Way is best seen in late summer.

Outside of the astronomy field, Black Moon is also the name of an American hip hop group, whose first album Enta da Stage was released in 1993. Their name is an acronym for "Brothers who Lyrically Act and Combine Kickin Music Out On Nations."