The Vineyard will be treated to a pretty good meteor shower in the early hours of Sunday, May 5 and Monday, May 6. The shower is called the Eta Aquariids, named after the constellation Aquarius, where the meteors appear to originate.

Other than the location of the radiant, there is little connection with the constellation. This shower is linked to Halley's Comet which passed by the sun in 1986 and won't return again until the year 2061. The meteors are debris that reside in the elliptical orbit of the comet. Coincidentally the planet Saturn is moving through the Aquarius now.

The shower is running through the week but the best window is between Sunday and Monday, with as many as a dozen meteors being counted in an hour of viewing. We've seen reports in the astronomy community of a higher number but are cautious about sharing that level of optimism.. The suggested best time is after 3 a.m. on both mronings. This is a shower that covers a lot of space around the earth so you might see one of those meteors earlier.

Jupiter and the Thin Crescent Moon

There is a slight chance you will spot a thin crescent moon in close proximity to the planet Jupiter after sunset on Wednesday. You'll need binoculars and a good view of the northwestern sky. A perfect place will be at the Menemsha Beach, or anywhere that offers a clear look. The two will only be 4 degrees apart. Binoculars almost mandatory, since the both are faint compared to the light of twilight and they are both so close to the horizon.