We've been enjoying the brilliant planet Saturn in the evening sky. The planet is both close and convenient to spot. Look in the southeastern sky about an hour or so after sunset and you'll see the planet pretty much by itself. There is no confusing Saturn with any other object in that area of the sky. Saturn is the brightest.
We've enjoyed looking at the planet through a telescope. The rings are a dramatic sight when compared to any other planet in the sky.
We've got planets in the evening and morning skies. Venus is low in the southwestern sky after sunset. It may be a hard plant to find, since it appears so close to the horizon. This will change in the months ahead, as it appears higher and higher after sunset.
We seldom see hail in Vineyard skies. We got a dose this past Monday afternoon when a line of thunderstorms approached from the Cape. The storm came from the north. The skies darkened. Then the rain came.
Depending on where you were on the Vineyard or in Southern New England, the storm produced vivid lightning and thunder and copious amounts of hail. We haven't seen hail around this parts in a really long time. Or, if you have a memory, you'll agree we haven't seen such a significant amount of hail come quickly in a short splendid time.
Aquinnah selectmen this week held off on signing a conservation restriction on two parcels that are tied to the Moshup Trail Project. Two of the three selectmen told Brendan O’Neill, the executive director of the Vineyard Conservation Society, that there are too many unresolved issues.
Selectman Walter Delaney said: “I do have questions.” Mr. Delaney said at least one of the parcels, five acres belonging to South Shore Beach Inc., is used as a beach access club. Mr. Delaney asked how a conservation restriction can apply to a 16-car parking lot and how it benefits the town.
The best evidence of seasonal change isn't only in the weather and occasional drop with the temperature, it is in the night sky. Go outside late and you are under a canopy of autumn. Late Monday night step out and look for the moon. The Last Quarter moon is in the zodiiacal constellation Taurus, the Bull, a constellation we associate with fall and winter. The moon is right next to the large star cluster Pleiades. Now that is a sign of autumn in the air.
The full moon on Monday will be big and close And you'll see it rising in the eastern sky right after sunset. We call this moon the Sailor's Moon, the one moon in August that gets plenty of attention. In other places the moon is called The Sturgeon Moon, but we have seldom seen this endangered fish that once proliferated the East Coast and other places. It has also been called the Dog Moon.
The favorite meteor shower of the year takes place Sunday night. The Perseid Meteor Shower reaches its peak in the earliest hour of Monday morning, just after midnight. The best time to look is after midnight, but you can look up throughout evening on Sunday and into Monday.. The Perseid meteor shower can produce upwards of 50 meteors an hour, though we've never seen that many. It is just a great meteor shower at the best time of the year, when it is fairly warm outside.
The nights ahead will be ideal for look for shooting stars and even the Milky Way. The moon will not interfere, as it reaches New Moon phase on Sunday. If the weather cooperates, these nights are ideal for stepping out with a beverage and sitting on a beach chair. Look up, you may see a shooting star flying overhead.
Venus, the brightest planet in the evening sky is getting easier to see. Have you seen it yet? Venus sets almost an hour after the sun. It is so close to the setting sun, you need a clear view of the horizon and maybe some luck. Look only after the sun has set, perhaps almost a half hour.
