The brightest planet in our sky, Venus is a beautiful sight early in the morning. The planet was visible last weekend over Edgartown harbor. It was so brilliant, it looked like an airplane approaching with landing lights from the east. With the Edgartown Lighthouse flashing red and the Cape Pogue lighthouse flashing white, Venus easily outshined them both.

Tonight the gibbous moon appears under the bright planet Jupiter. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Taurus.

Tomorrow is the full moon, called the Harvest Moon. The moon rises in the east at about the same time as the sun sets in the west. The brilliant moon is in the zodiacal constellation Pisces. The Harvest Moon is the nearest full moon to the first day of autumn, which was last Saturday. The moon will look large as it rises in the east, and it will appear to be close. Full moons on the horizon always look closer and bigger. But as the moon climbs higher in the sky it seems to shrink. The moon actually will be closest to the earth next Friday, when it is in perigee. The moon on that date will be 251,000 miles away. Tides will run slightly higher and lower than usual, due to both the closeness of the moon and the fact that the moon is just past full. The gravitational pull of both the moon and the sun play a big part in the tides. The relationship between the earth to the moon and sun are also involved. When the moon is closesTomorrow is the full moon, called the Harvest Moon. The moon rises in the east at about the same time as the sun sets in the west. The brilliant moon is in the zodiacal constellation Pisces. The Harvest Moon is the nearest full moon to the first day of autumn, which was last Saturday. The moon will look large as it rises in the east, and it will appear to be close. Full moons on the horizon always look closer and bigger. But as the moon climbs higher in the sky it seems to shrink. The moon actually will be closest to the earth next Friday, when it is in perigee. The moon on that date will be 251,000 miles away. Tides will run slightly higher and lower than usual, due to both the closeness of the moon and the fact that the moon is just past full. The gravitational pull of both the moon and the sun play a big part in the tides. The relationship between the earth to the moon and sun are also involved. When the moon is closest to the earth, our oceans feel an extra tug. The extreme tides next week will likely be something for fishermen to talk about.t to the earth, our oceans feel an extra tug. The extreme tides next week will likely be something for fishermen to talk about.

The clear dry air that covers New England and is giving the Vineyard excellent sunny days is also giving us near perfect stargazing nights. Visibility is excellent. The stars are bright and numerous. The Milky Way is easy to see overhead, and the stars of autumn are rising in the east. For those who are up late, the bright planet Jupiter rises in the East around midnight. The planet is in the zodiacal constellation Taurus, a constellation we associate with cold winter nights. If you wait later, the constellation Orion rises. Orion, the hunter, is a winter constellation. Orion rises in the east at 1 a.m.

Those who are outdoors late tonight and for the next two nights may want to take a moment to look for the moon rising in the east. The last quarter moon is in the zodiacal constellation Taurus and not far from the brilliant planet Jupiter.

The best time to see these two celestial objects is well after midnight, when both have some altitude in the east. Both can be observed through the weekend.

Temperature: Precip.

Day Max. Min. Inches.

Fº Fº

August 24 82 64

August 25 82 64

August 26 80 64

August 27 78 55

August 28 78 71 .01

August 29 82 64 .03

August 30 76 56

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 77º F.