Mark Alan Lovewell

Mercury in the Morning

The most difficult visible planet isn’t the farthest from us, it is almost always the one too close to the sun. The planet Mercury shines above the eastern skyline each morning in the week ahead.

Mercury is tough. But this weekend, Mercury will be easy. Astronomers point out that this is the best apparition of the Sun’s closest planet Mercury.

There are only two requirements for seeing this planet. Get up early in the morning well before sunrise, and the eastern sky has to be clear.

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Gibbous Moon and Jupiter

Vineyard Skies for Friday, October 15, 2021.

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Threesome Celestial Gathering

Look tomorrow night to the southwestern sky just after sunset for three bright objects close to the horizon.

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Monster Thresher Sharks Tip Scales in Oak Bluffs at Annual Tournament

A 393-pound thresher shark was caught on Friday in waters south of the Vineyard. The fish, caught by Allen Bradley of Weatherfield Conn., was a record breaker for that species in the 14th annual Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament.

A total of 82 boats from all along the Eastern Seaboard showed up for two intense days of fishing. They started fishing early in the morning and quit by 3:30 p.m. Most of the boats were home by late afternoon.

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On the Waterfront

The 11th annual Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament starts this Thursday with a captain's meeting at the Wesley Hotel. Fishing takes place on Friday and Saturday.  Bob Jackson, the organizer of the event and the president of the Boston Big Game Fishing Club, said he is expecting at least 55 boats.

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World Record Blue Shark Caught

A huge 454-pound blue shark was caught during the tenth annual Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament held over the weekend. The shark could be the largest blue ever caught, a world record.

The shark was caught by Pete Bergin of Shrewsbury in his boat Quality Time. Mr. Bergin's boat was one of 65 participating in the Boston Big Game Fishing Club's annual event. Competing boats filled the Oak Bluffs waterfront for most of the weekend. On Friday and Saturday a large number of fish were caught, and even more were released.

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Fair Weather Makes Lively Shark Tourney

A Vineyard recreational fishing boat took the title in the ninth annual Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tournament held over two days this weekend. Tom Furino of the 34 1/4 foot fishing boat Fish Finder out of Oak Bluffs won the tournament with a catch of two large sharks. On Friday Mr. Furino and his charter crew caught a 320-pound blue shark and on Saturday they caught a 302-pounder of the same species.

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Venus and Jupiter

The two brightest planets in our night sky appear opposite each other tonight. The brightest of them, Venus, appears just above the western horizon after sunset. Look east at the same time and you’ll see Jupiter just coming up.

Even to the most casual observer these two planets are a sight. We’ve heard a number of inquiries and this is the fun part about autumn. The evening sky and the movement of the planets can catch anyone’s attention.

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The Milky Way

The Milky Way is a lot easier to find in the autumn than in the summer. You don’t have to hunt for it. If you are outside tonight around 9 p.m. Just look up. The Milky Way is overhead. It crosses through our zenith.

The brightest star overhead is Vega in the constellation Lyra, a small harp. Vega can be your guide. Find Vega and with a little bit of hard looking you will see that the Milky Way cloud passes nearby.

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Christmas in Edgartown Means Parade, Music, Bazaars, Food

Here’s a proposed expedition every bit as adventurous (but not nearly as brutal) as Capt. Shackleton’s trek across South Georgia Island: Why not sit down with loved ones and plan to attend every last event being staged over the coming weekend — Dec. 11 to Dec. 13 — of the Christmas In Edgartown extravaganza?

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