Black moon years. When February is without full moon, then the preceding January or December and the following March or April have two full moons. As with the case of two new moons in a month, whether a black moon by this definition occurs depends on the time zone. Calculated in UTC, instances of a month without full moon between 1990 and 2040 are: Another use of the term is for the absence of the new moon in a calendar month. This can occur only in February; it happens about every 19 years. When February is without new moon, then the preceding
Full moon the first full moon of 2000. The true time of a full moon may differ from this approximation by up to about 14.5 hours as a result of the non-circularity of the moon's orbit. See New moon for an explanation of the formula and its parameters. The age and apparent size of the full moon vary in a cycle of just under 14 synodic months, which has been referred to as a full moon cycle. Full moons are traditionally associated with temporal insomnia (inability to sleep), insanity (hence the terms "lunacy" and "lunatic") and various "magical phenomena" such as lycanthropy.