Sunrise Sunset

Fri., July 24 5:27 8:07

Sat., July 25 5:28 8:06

Sun., July 26 5:29 8:05

Mon., July 27 5:30 8:05

Tues., July 28 5:31 8:04

Wed., July 29 5:32 8:02

Thurs., July 30 5:33 8:01

Fri., July 31 5:34 8:00

Tonight’s thin crescent moon appears low in the southwestern sky near the ringed planet Saturn. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Leo.

The moon moves ahead into Virgo in the nights ahead. The moon will be first quarter phase on Tuesday night.

Meteor Showers

The Vineyard summer nights are about to get a little more interesting with the arrival of meteor showers. The first shower to come by is the Delta Aquarids, a small but productive shower, that begins this weekend and lasts about a week.

Meteors are fast moving pieces of space debris burning up in our Earth’s atmosphere. During these showers an observer may see quite a few meteors coming from a specific part of the sky. Showers were named years ago by astronomers who didn’t know what they were. The Delta Aquarids shower looks like meteors are coming from that constellation.

In modern astronomy astronomers know that these showers are a lot closer to earth, within our solar system. Several times during the year, the Earth passes through the remnants, the path of an old comet. Like clockwork, the space debris starts falling from the sky.

An even more popular meteor shower, the Perseids, begins on August 11. With warm nights ahead, and the proximity of meteor showers, more observers will see falling stars.

M.A.L.