Black Moon End Times Link: Obscure Facebook Post Blown Out of Proportion?
A random post on Facebook might have served as the catalyst for generating numerous news articles seeking to debunk the claim that Friday evening's black moon is a sign of the Apocalypse.
On Friday night in the Western hemisphere, a phenomenon known as a black moon is expected to appear for the first time since March 2014.
"On Sept. 30, sky-watchers in the Western Hemisphere may be tempted to add another lunar moniker to the list: a 'black moon,' popularly defined as the second new moon in a month. However, it's not exactly going to make for good sky-watching," reported National Geographic.
"New moons occur when the moon's orbit takes it between Earth and the sun, leaving the lunar orb's unilluminated side facing Earth. At night, this phase of the moon is impossible to see: Since new moons are in the same part of the sky as the sun, they rise and set with the sun and are overwhelmed by its glare."
National Geographic, along with several other news outlets, report that the pending black moon has been kicking up a frenzy of End Times prophecies and predictions.
As evidence, National Geographic along with The Inquisitr, Unilad, and other news sites have cited the aforementioned Facebook post, usually linking back to the U.K. publication the Daily Express.
The oft-mentioned Facebook post linked to a video on The Weather Channel announcing the black moon for Friday evening.
"Those signs are letting us know that Jesus is soon coming. We are approaching the end of our world and the end of life on earth for all human being," wrote the Facebook user whose post has been cited in various news reports.
"Every day, we have to come closer to our savior Jesus Christ. For none can escape for what it is coming for the earth. Some of the people living on earth, will wish they were dead in Christ."
For its part, the Express article quoted another unnamed person who reportedly wrote: "The Lord will make the moon turn red as blood … and turn black. Sounds familiar?" However, as of Friday morning, this Facebook comment could not be found. This might be because of either privacy settings or the comment being deleted.
On Friday morning, The Washington Post cited and quoted other sources of possible End Times concerns regarding the black moon.
"What does any of this have to do with the Apocalypse? Nothing. But as the public has become increasingly interested in the moon's idiosyncrasies, so have the prophets of doom," The Washington Post reports. "This time around, the prophecies aren't quite as widespread, but they're every bit as extreme."
Many of the linked examples, including Russia Today and Eye Opening.info, both label the black moon and End Times link a conspiracy theory. And both links use the Express article for evidence.
The Washington Post story also linked to an entry on the site Refinery29, which was noted for saying that the black moon has a "deeper meaning" for some who practice modern paganism.
However, the Refinery29 story begins with the explanation that "the black moon is just another term for the second new moon in a calendar month."
"In addition to those who don't do anything in particular for the black moon, there are also people who believe it's actually a sign of the end of days. As you might have guessed, that's not true," according to Refinery29, which also linking to the Express article.
"In fact, just about all of us have lived through multiple black moons already. They actually come around approximately every two and a half years, so they aren't nearly as rare as some might make them out to be."
The Post did showcase a couple other sources of claims for the black moon holding significance, including a link to the website "Now the End Begins."
"So this Friday night enjoy the visual feast of the black moon as it rises over the night sky. But have your Bible close by and pay attention. You never know what can happen," noted the entity's website.