Full Moon Bonfire
Sunday, July 2, 2023
Location: On the beach between BW 1 and 2
Sunset – 8:31 pm
Moonrise – 8:15 pm
High Tide – 8:18 pm
Full Buck Moon
Summer is here and although we don’t need the heat, it’s still a great time for a bonfire on the beach with family and friends. The actual full moon is Monday, July 3, at 7:39 am. We’ve scheduled the bonfire on Sunday so as not to conflict with Seabrook Island fireworks.
To keep things simple, each person brings what you want: food, drinks, chairs and a stick of firewood for a big bonfire. Nothing will be provided but a beautiful beach, a bonfire and, hopefully, a full moon.
Hopefully, the weather remains accommodating. People ask if the bonfire will be held if it’s rainy…. the bonfire will be cancelled if it is raining or rain is threatening as few would be comfortable attending.
By terms of the permit, the fire needs to be out no later than 10:00 pm. The later sunset and moonrise times ease the challenge for scheduling dinner but still gives us time to enjoy the evening.
Other night sky observation opportunities:
- The International Space Station Flyover is at 2:38 am so not good for our bonfire time.
- According to Space Tourism Guide, “it will be super obvious to see when Venus and Mars appear close together in the sky: radiant Venus and dusty Mars have been creeping closer together lately, and will appear at their closest about 3°33′ apart in the constellation Leo on the evening of July 1st. While the Moon will be quite close to full around that time, it will be in a different part of the sky – making this a perfect opportunity to gaze at our two solar system neighbors.”
- The scheduled SpaceX launch is July 1 at 11:11 am from Cape Kennedy. Unless it is delayed, it is not a good viewing opportunity on Seabrook Island.
Put these dates for the Full Moon Bonfires on your calendar:
- Tuesday, August 1 (the first of two full moons in August)
- Wednesday, August 30 (the second of two full moons in August- a blue moon)
- Friday, September 29
There’s always plenty of room on the beach for everyone, so invite a friend or bring your house guests.
According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, “July’s full Buck Moon orbits closer to Earth than many of the other full Moons this year, making one of the four supermoons of 2023! At its nearest point, the Buck Moon will be 224,895.4 miles (361,934 km) from Earth, which means that August’s Blue Moon will be the only supermoon that is closer to our planet this year. While a supermoon is technically bigger and brighter than a regular full Moon, it only appears about 7% larger—which can be an imperceptible difference to the human eye, depending on other conditions.”
And finally, some July fun moon facts from The Old Farmer’s Almanac:
- On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to step foot on the Moon. He also placed the U.S. flag there.
- On July 31, 1999, the ashes of the astrogeologist Eugene Shoemaker were deposited on the Moon.
How the full moon got its name:
- Per The Old Farmer’s Almanac:
July – Full Buck Moon: At this time, a buck’s (male deer’s) antlers are in full growth mode. This full moon was also known as the Thunder Moon because thunderstorms are so frequent during this month - Other names:
- Berry Moon (Anishinaabe)
- Feather Moulting Moon (Cree)
- Halfway Summer Moon (Anishinaabe)
- Month of the Ripe Corn Moon (Cherokee)
- Moon When Chokecherries are Ripe (Dakota)
- Raspberry Moon (Algonquin, Ojibwe)
- Salmon Moon (Tlingit)
- Thunder Moon (Western Abenaki)
- I found another website. This site also says the Cherokee Indians called it the Ripe Corn Moon and the English Medieval name was the Mead Moon.
- Another website says the Chinese call it Hungry Ghost Moon.
-Submitted by Judy Morr