Question

What positions do the sun, moon, and earth have to be in for the moon to be in the “new moon” phase?

Answer 1

When the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun, the bright side of the Moon is facing away from the Earth, and we have a New Moon (position A in the diagram below). The New Moon rises at sunrise, transits the meridian at noon and sets at sunset. The New Moon phase repeats every 29.531 days – one synodic month.