We’ve got a meteor shower coming in the next week. In the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 21 take a look for meteors coming out and or radiating away from the well-known constellation Orion.
The Orionid meteor shower is a sizeable shower. Astronomers predict you may see upwards of 25 meteors in an hour of watching. For the Vineyard, we are more cautious with our numbers. Just seeing one or a bunch of meteors shooting across the sky is pretty exciting.
A bright gibbous moon will interfere with the show early in the evening. But viewing gets better once the moon has set.
The shower owes its origins to Halley’s Comet. The comet is far outside of our solar system, however its trail, its orbit, filled with debris is still here.
Find an excuse to be outside any night ahead and you might see either an early or a late Orionid meteor.
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset |
| Friday, October 16 | 6:54 | 6:59 |
| Saturday, October 17 | 6:55 | 6:57 |
| Sunday, October 18 | 6:56 | 5:56 |
| Monday, October 19 | 6:57 | 5:54 |
| Tuesday, October 20 | 6:59 | 5:53 |
| Wednesday, October 21 | 7:00 | 5:51 |
| Thursday, October 22 | 7:01 | 5:50 |
| Friday, October 23 | 7:02 | 5:48 |
Weather for the past week:
| Date | High Temp | Low Temp | Precipitation Inches |
| Friday, Oct. 9 | 71 | 47 | 0.00 |
| Saturday, Oct. 10 | 69 | 48 | 0.00 |
| Sunday, Oct. 11 | 65 | 43 | 0.00 |
| Monday, Oct. 12 | 63 | 54 | 1.07 |
| Tuesday, Oct. 13 | 63 | 55 | 0.00 |
| Wednesday, Oct. 14 | 68 | 57 | T |
| Thursday, Oct. 15 | 78 | 55 | 0.00 |
Edgartown Harbor Water temperature: 61