'Rare reflection' suggests that you can see two moons in the night sky

The “rare reflection” theory has emerged on TikTok and suggests you can see two moons in the night sky, but how accurate is it?

With millions of users, TikTok has become a platform where trends and “theories” can quickly take hold, regardless of whether there is any truth behind them. For example, in 2022, a rumour that Disney World was going to demolish the famous Cinderella Castle had to be debunked after it spread on the platform.

The latest theory to be challenged on the site is the so-called “‘rare reflection” theory which claims that two moons will be seen in the sky on 8 February because of a rare reflection due to an impossible astronomical event.

One TikTok video has claimed that an astrological event is happening for the first time in hundreds of years, causing so-called “moon reflection” on 8 February.

The voiceover on the clip suggested that “at night, an even bigger moon will be visible on the opposite side of our real moon”.

It didn’t take long for the clip to be entirely debunked, as people pointed out that on 8 February, the moon is entering the waning crescent phase, which means just 3 per cent of the moon will be illuminated.

On 9 February, it enters the new moon phase where the moon won’t be visible at all.

One person in the comments pointed out: “The moon is less than a crescent right now, barely a sliver.”

Another questioned: “The 9th is a new moon which means it will be blacked out. How exactly are you going to see a reflection of it?”

“Tonight the moon is a sliver of a crescent. It's gone for the next three days. How are we supposed to see two when we can't even see one?” someone else added.

Sign up for our free indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings