The most expensive sale of residential Vineyard real estate was completed on Tuesday in a law office in Boston. An old summer family sold 80 acres of north shore property that fronts Vineyard Sound in West Tisbury for $12 million.

The property, in proximity to Paul's Point, had been in the Albridge C. Smith family since 1943. The sellers were his two daughters: Margaret (Trika) Smith-Burke of Connecticut and Cary Hart of California. The property was put on the market early last winter.

The trees have been cleared, the land smoothed over; the contours of a new 18-hole golf course in Edgartown are taking shape. While it is months before grass seed takes root, the landscape already presents vistas never seen before. The Vineyard Golf Club project is well under way.

The bright waxing gibbous moon will cross over the bright star Antares on Thursday, August 24 at 10 p.m. The time to watch is well before, when you can more easily see the two together. Then watch as the moon slowly approaches the star.

The long awaited meteor shower of the year is this weekend. The Perseid Meteor Shower, the most popular shower of the year, takes place tomorrow night into Sunday morning. Keep your eyes to the heavens this weekend and through the coming week for shooting stars, meteors passing overhead.

The brightest planet in our western sky for most of spring and into this summer, appears to have disappeared. Venus has slipped so low in the western sky you almost can't find it. The planet used to be high in the sky, a beacon at twilight. Now it is just too close to the sun to be visible, though still possible to see.

Venus is closer than you think. Venus is about to be precisely between the Earth and the Sun, thus not visible to us.

We are approaching the best time of year to watch for meteors, also known as shooting stars. We've got both mild summer nights and at least two meteor showers to look for. This weekend marks the radiant period of the Delta Aquarid meteor shower. And mid-August we've got the ever so popular Perseid Meteor Shower. There are enough meteors in both to fill the sky every night ahead.

Three planets hover close together with a bright star in our western sky this weekend. Venus, the brightest, appears in the middle between red Mars on the viewer's left and Mercury on the extreme right. The fairly bright star Regulus appears right above Venus. As close as they appear to each other, their distance from us is extreme.

Venus is the closest at only 33 million miles away. No celestial object other than the moon gets close.

Mercury is 108 million miles away and Mars is a distant 213 million miles away.

The solar system's three innermost planets, together with Earth, will be low in the southwestern sky this weekend. They are Mars, Venus and Mercury. And if you are looking for a fourth planet, look down and see the Earth. They'll be joined by a thin waxing crescent moon next Thursday night.

July is the last month we have Venus in the western sky after sundown. The Earth's closest and bright neighbor is appearing lower in the western sky each night. We watched Venus on Tuesday night, the night of the fireworks and noted the planet no longer commands the height in the western sky of just a few weeks ago. Venus is sinking in our western sky. Each night ahead, Venus appears closer where the setting sun, set previously. Venus is also closer to the Earth. Right now Venus is only 45 million miles away.

The night of the fireworks, July 4, offers a show far and beyond. For those looking up, take a close look at Venus setting in the west. You may have to look carefully to see the bright red planet Mars near Venus. The two are only a few degrees apart. With Venus being so brilliant it is easy to miss the second closest planet to us. Mars is about as far from the Earth as it gets and still be visible. Mars is over 200 million miles away. It is no wonder the planet is so dim. Compare it to the much closer Venus. Venus is 37 million miles away.