Just about everything washes up on the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard at some point, from seaglass to messages in bottles. And last December, a few lucky beachcombers up-Island encountered a first: Pieces of a personal weather modification device.
 That’s the formal name. Informally, it’s simply a cloudmaker, a combination science experiment/art project created by Karolina Sobecka, 35, of New York city. Ms. Sobecka designed the cloudmaker as part of her Amateur Human project, which seeks to personalize human relationships with the environment.

The moon dominates our night skies this weekend and well into the coming week.

Last weekend danger lurked around every corner. Sharpshooters waited ominously for just the right time to strike but luckily the weather warmed and the threat melted away.

The blizzard of 2013 left us more than just a winter wonderland. As temperatures slowly increased, glimmering, glamorous icicles formed on the edges of buildings and vehicles, causing me to consider wearing a hard hat to accompany my scarf and gloves.

Fortunately, we do not often get a chance to talk about how birds are affected by a major snowstorm. But 15 inches of heavy wet snow has provided that opportunity.

Birds can detect the air pressure changes that accompany an approaching storm, giving them time to prepare for adversity.

The moon returns to our evening skies in the coming week.