One of our residents, Marita Burger, writes:

“The moon gazers among us will tell you that there are 13 full moons on the lunar calendar of 2023 – the last one to illuminate the sky in a bright, festive manner will be on Friday, December 27. The highlight on the calendar is the blue moon of 30 August, that is, the very special occurrence of a second full moon in one month.

In the Library input, Don’t blame it on the moon! I draw attention to the supermoons to watch out for during that year. But now, late in the year, I can only refer to them in the past tense, because the last supermoon in 2023 will be September 29 (following the earlier ones on July 5th, August 1st, and August 30th).

A full moon occurs when the Earth is directly between the Sun and Moon so that the moon looks completely illuminated when you look at it. It happens about once a month according to the 29.5-day lunar cycle fitting into the 365 days it takes for the earth to rotate around the sun.

When a full moon occurs at the closest point to Earth during its orbit, it appears slightly bigger and brighter – becoming what is commonly known as a “supermoon”.

What is a blue moon?

It is not clear where the name “blue moon” comes from. Blue moons are not blue! Their occurrences fall some way short of the 365 days in a calendar year. Roughly every two and a half years a 13th full moon is seen. This additional full moon does not fit the normal naming scheme and so  instead it is referred to as a ‘blue moon’. The most common explanation is when two full moons occur in the same month, the second full moon is typically called a blue moon.

[NOTE: The idiom used figuratively for a rare happening, as ’happening once in a blue moon’ refers to this phenomenon in nature’s way of things.]

The blue moon of August 30 (2023) is labelled as a full moon, a supermoon and finally a blue moon! It was for many of us a once in a lifetime sight to see.  According to NASA, the next super blue moon (i.e., a blue moon that is also a supermoon) will occur in January and March 2037.

The next monthly blue moon dates: 31 May 2026, 31 December 2028.

How does the moon influence our lives?

There is something magical about a full moon. The nearest celestial body to Earth and the only one we humans have literally set foot on, the moon has an enormous influence on our world. It impacts mainly on our lives in terms of time, tides, and light – one of the main reasons why days are 24 hours long.

What is the effect of a full moon on tides?

Its impact seems even more profound when the moon is full, with the entire sunlit side brightly visible. For example, full moon tides are more intense than tides occurring during other moon phases. Both the Moon and the Sun generate considerable tidal forces – the solar tides about half as large as lunar tides. The alignment of the Sun, Moon, and Earth (at the time of a new or a full moon) creates extremely low, low tides and super-high high tides, commonly known as spring tides. During each lunar month, two sets of spring tides and two sets of neap tides occur.

What caused the big ocean waves that crashed into our coastal shores recently in September?

Strong winds and storms are not unusual but the recent storm and breaking of huge, damaging waves is unusual along our coastal shores. Although it happened during spring tide and the new moon phase that does affect waves, the weather system in the Atlantic Ocean contributed mainly.  According to the South African Weather Services we had a mid-latitude cyclone (cold front) over the weekend that moved overland with the core lying south of the country. Behind that cold front, there was a low-pressure system, referred to as a ‘long fetch’. This means that very strong winds (gale force to hurricane-force) ranging between 80 and 110 kilometers per hour blew for a long time over a large part of the ocean (more than 6000km). This caused the ocean’s waves to be bigger (up to nine meters high) and stronger. The strong winds blow from the same direction before reaching the coast of South Africa.

All these resulted in the very rare, “once in a blue moon” storm raging along our coast. (NOTE: The rising sea levels due to climate change boost flooding and could put many coastal regions at risk in future.)

Not a tsunami?

Comments that appeared in the media explained that the freak waves, although unusual, were not tsunamis, as tsunamis are usually caused by geological phenomena such as an earthquake or volcanic eruption.

Who developed the first lunar calendars?

Evidence shows that ancient civilizations like the Sumerians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Celts, and Mayans used calendars based on moon phases because moon phases were easy to measure. They knew no better than to live by the rhythm of the moon. A lunar calendar is based on the time it takes for the moon to revolve around the Earth. This time is referred to as a month. The Babylonian lunar calendar dates back centuries but actual ones were not around until the Bronze Age in 3100 BC.

These societies (in northern countries) gave names to the full moons, for example: Snow moon, Flower moon, Fruit moon, Corn moon, Harvest moon.  The origin of these names can be traced to tribal traditions and the honouring of seasons.

For our gardeners: Do the moon phases affect plants?

Most would agree that the daily rising and falling of the moon, along with the monthly waxing and waning cycles, have effects on our oceans and seas. While not widely recognized, it is also believed that the “pull of the moon” affects the flow of plant sap. During a full moon, for example, sap flows more strongly and abundantly in the plant, while it becomes slower and scarcer as the moon enters its waning phase.

According to this belief, choosing the best time on the lunar calendar to prune will allow for more flow of plant sap to heal the pruning ‘wound.’ However, studies that disprove this conclude that the water content of plants, even in the largest trees, is too small.

And so, scientists can already predict sunsets, full moons, weather conditions to the minute as ordinary mortals try to understand and manage nature. For us, however, life can be very unpredictable. What is certain is that on most nights it’s possible to look up and see one of the moon’s many faces. From full moon to a quarter to a crescent moon, the moon remains a familiar presence in the sky.

There are plenty of myths and legends about the moon’s power, though science has yet to find evidence for the more mystical among them. Still, exposure to moonlight can lead to feelings of awe and peace, along with a greater sense of connection to the universe. So, mark your calendar – there are still 3 full moons left in this year of 2023: October 28, November 27, and December 27.

Be happy and remember to visit the library – there are always new titles.”