Temperature: Precip.

Day Max. Min. Inches.

Fº Fº

August 20 80 67 .00

August 21 81 59 .00

August 22 79 67 .00

August 23 72 65 .68

August 24 69 62 1.69

August 25 68 62 1.00

August 26 74 62 .03

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 74º F.

The brightest planet in the western sky is Venus, and it can easily be seen an hour after sunset. In the coming week, our nearest planet appears close to one of the brightest stars of the summer, Spica. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Virgo.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news.

And this news that I needed to deliver was particularly bad. A phone call from an unnamed couple somewhere on Martha’s Vineyard (the reason for anonymity will soon be clear) asked if they could bring in an insect for me to identify. They feared the worst, believing that they knew what they had in their glass jar, and were looking for confirmation of their suspicions.

In this case, being right was all wrong.

The commercial striped bass season ended last Monday and Alec Gale of West Tisbury said it was the worst season he has seen in the six years he has been hauling fish to the mainland for the local anglers. “It was a slow season, and it wasn’t because of overfishing,” Mr. Gale said. “I think it was a lack of bait and the warm water temperature.”

By LYNNE IRONS

A few weeks ago, a story was told on NPR of a man with a persistent cough. Fearing the worst, he scheduled a doctor’s visit. An x-ray revealed a pea plant growing in his lung. He apparently had a split pea go down the wrong pipe. Incredible as it sounds, all ended well with the removal of the half-inch sprout.