What phase is the Moon in when it is directly between the Earth and the Sun? It is a new moon.
During the new-moon phase, the Moon lies approximately between Earth and the Sun, with its sunlit hemisphere facing away from Earth. The side visible from Earth is therefore mostly dark, making the Moon normally invisible in the night sky.
A new moon marks the beginning of the lunar phase cycle. It occurs when the Moon and Sun have nearly the same position in the sky, an alignment astronomers call conjunction. The Moon then moves eastward in its orbit, gradually revealing a thin waxing crescent after sunset.
A common misconception is that every new moon produces a solar eclipse. The Moon’s orbit is tilted by about 5 degrees relative to Earth’s orbital plane, so its shadow usually passes above or below Earth. A solar eclipse occurs only when a new moon arrives near one of the points where those orbital planes intersect.