• Sunset as seen from East Chop Light.
  • Jeanna Shepard

In Vineyard Skies: Harvest Moon

Friday night’s full moon will have more than the usual influence on our tides. The tides will be extreme well into the coming week. On Sunday, the moon is in perigee, closer to the Earth than usual. The gravitational pull on the Earth is increased with both the sun and moon positioned on opposite sides of the Earth.

Being nearer, the moon appears bigger than the usual full moon. But who can tell? The moon is only slightly larger. Astronomers estimate the moon will be 224,871 miles away on Sunday. The moon’s average distance from the earth is 238,900 miles.

Each high tide over the weekend will be higher with the wrackline being pushed up along the beach. At the other extreme, low tide will expose sand bars that are normally underwater. If you are an avid recreational fisherman you’ll like the rushing currents that will take place between these two tides.

This is also the Harvest Moon, a full moon closer to the first day of autumn — which is only a week away, on Thursday, Sept. 22. The precise time for this seasonal change is 10:21 a.m.
 

 

Sunrise and Sunset
Day Sunrise Sunset
Fri., Sept. 16 6:22 6:49
Sat., Sept. 17 6:23 6:48
Sun., Sept. 18 6:24 6:46
Mon., Sept. 19 6:25 6:44
Tues., Sept. 20 6:26 6:43
Wed., Sept. 21 6:27 6:41
Thurs., Sept. 22 6:28 6:39
Fri., Sept. 23 6:29 6:37
Temperatures and Precipitation
Day Max (Fº) Min (Fº) Inches
Sept. 9 79 67 T
Sept. 10 86 68 0.05
Sept. 11 82 68 0.00
Sept. 12 78 62 0.05
Sept. 13 75 55 0.00
Sept. 14 77 63 0.00
Sept. 15 79 61 0.02

 

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 71º F

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