Walk When the Moon is (Almost) Full

by Sid Baglini

Sunday, July 2, 2023, 8:45 PM

New Meeting Place: Lawn Behind the Library! See below for parking information.


Actually, we will call this “Walk When the Moon Is Almost Full’ because the July Full Moon rises at 9:26 PM on the 3rd, and would not be visible above the trees and structures in Malvern until about 10 PM. By walking the night before, we move that timetable back by an hour. At 7:36 AM on Monday, it will reach its peak illumination, so it will appear just as full on Sunday night as it will late on the 3rd.

This month, we will celebrate the Full Buck Moon, named for the growing velvet-covered antlers that distinguish the males in the deer population. As always, there are other names relating to animals and their activities including the Feather Moulting Moon, a shedding of feathers that follows the breeding season, and the Salmon Moon which marked the return of this food staple to the rivers and streams to lay eggs. Speaking of food, other names capture the gifts of the growing season, including the Berry Moon, specifically the Raspberry Moon and the Ripe Com Moon. The Anishinaabe Tribe referred to it as The Half Summer Moon, a rather sobering thought as we watch our days growing shorter following the summer solstice on June 21st. We will hope that the Thunder Moon does not materialize, as we will have to cancel our walk if a thunderstorm is threatening that evening.

Happily, we can apply another moniker this year for the July Full Moon, and that is Supermoon, one of four that we will experience this year. It earns that label because the Moon is full when it is close to Earth in its orbit – a mere 224,895 miles away. We will have another Supermoon at the end of August, so stay tuned.

Please join us to experience this month’s lunar light show. We’ll share some interesting facts relating to the Moon, the night sky, and flora and fauna that light up the darkness. Since Malvern Arts is no longer housed at the Baptist Church, we will be meeting on the lawn behind Borough Hall, which is just across First Avenue from the church parking lot where we used to meet. Please park along First Avenue or in the library parking lot, as the church has installed signs resticting parking to their members.

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