I managed to catch all 5 ISS passes on each of two nights, though it essentially meant staying up all night. But it was fun.

And there were a few unexpected bonuses. The last pass Tuesday morning came less than an hour before sunrise, but I was able to see the Pleiades in the east despite the twilight. Cooler weather is coming!

And I decided to sit out and watch Jupiter until after the sun rose. The sunrise was scheduled for 5.38 local daylight time but due to trees I couldn't confirm it until 5.47. I was able to track Jupiter until 5.51.

This morning's last pass featured a chance to see Venus above the trees, a rare sight in these days of early sunrises (for this night owl, anyway 😉 )

What a wonderful read, @stargazer. You had some great viewings. Five ISS passes, very cool! Thumbs up that you were able to track Jupiter after the sun rose. I enjoy that challenge too. Great for being able to see the bright eye of Venus above the trees. I never fail to find this planet a stunning sight. And unexpected sky surprises are always such a treat. And you spotted the Pleiades, excellent! I barely saw this star cluster through my binoculars last week, I think it was, but have not seen it since. Yes, cooler weather is coming!  

Speaking of which, it was only 8°C / 46F out this morning, so a walk was definitely calling. So beautiful and fresh! I saw the four planets and the just past Full Buck Moon, as I did yesterday morning, as well. Very lovely. Yesterday morning the two closest ones were Mars and Jupiter; this morning, that switched to Saturn and the Moon. The arc this gorgeous planetary line-up created was magnificent, from Venus in the ENE far over to Saturn in the South and the Moon in the SSW.

Who else besides me loves the James Webb Telescope pictures that released the last week or two?

My husband showed me one last night that hasn't been as big of a headliner, but it took a snapshot of Jupiter as it happened to have a small meteor transiting it. LOL

@fantasia 

The pictures are as beautiful as those taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.  Hopefully there will be many more since the telescope is designed for many years of use.

I'm also loving the Webb images. I know it's not a valid comparison but I couldn't help thinking that it's a good thing it doesn't have the defective optics Hubble had, since there's no way we could service it way out there at L2.

It's been hot and dry here, so the skies are hazy but often not cloudy, and I've been enjoying the sight of Venus in the early dawn sky.

I think I saw Venus early this morning at 5 or so -- it was close to the moon? Or was that Jupiter?

Agreed (of course ) that those Webb images are stunning!

@cobalt-jade, that is really cool you saw that planet near the Moon. What a beautiful sight, eh? Was it to the right of the Moon? Which means it was Jupiter (in the south-east). Venus is further over and lower, to the left, rising in the ENE in the dawn's light. I don't know if you saw another planet a bit to the left of the Moon, but that ruddy one is Mars.  

It was Jupiter, thanks.

And in the wee hours this morning (July 21) it was Mars' turn to be close to the Moon, just to its lower left as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. They were about 5 degrees apart when I saw them around 2.15am local daylight time, with the Moon getting closer to it as the hours passed (but I didn't see them later on).

Now that I'm retired I'm coming to appreciate the Moon more. That sounds funny, doesn't it?   I can observe at all hours of the night if I wish, so I'm seeing it more often. The Full Moon last week was so low and round and pretty. And this morning, seeing the earthshine on the Moon as it was near Mars gave me a nice 3-D impression of the solar system (even if the sky usually seems to look flat).

Posted by: @stargazer

Now that I'm retired I'm coming to appreciate the Moon more. That sounds funny, doesn't it?

That doesn't sound funny: not in my books. I have always liked the Moon ... far more than the Sun. The Moon has a mystery to it - an ethereal beauty. And it's cooler! Glad you can enjoy our satellite even more now in retirement, stargazer.

This morning was a gorgeous walk. At 10°C with an Autumnal feel in the air, I could have kept on walking for hours. As it was, I was out for nearly an hour and a half, beginning at 5 a.m. It was still quite dark then (quite the contrast from a month ago when dawn was already fairly advanced by that time), so seeing Venus, the Moon's magical sliver, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn was very clear. There were some amazing clouds in the sky, but since they were not a full blanket, the combination of clouds and planets/stars was very striking.

Then the dawn came, and what colourful beauty in all directions. Reds, pinks, orange, golden as the sun rose nearer to the horizon. The clouds themselves were a wide variety of types, including some mammatus! And some upside-down Kelvin-Helmoltz (ocean wave clouds). I stood by the Old Silo for ages taking in the utter beauty of the view as the darkness fled, giving way to sunrise. Looking forward to many more of this type of walk as the sun rises later in the morning and the freshness of the Autumn air becomes more frequent.  

Oh, I must mention that the earthshine on the Moon this morning—this time above Venus—was stunning. I see what you mean about the 3D effect, stargazer.

Your walk this morning sounds delightful, @jo!

We have a few days of tolerable temperatures before the heat returns this weekend. I was also out this morning before dawn, with a pleasant temperature of about 65F/18C. But when I went out at 5:15 local time, twilight was already so strong that at first, Jupiter was the only object I could see (though the shortening days are certainly becoming evident. We've already lost about half an hour of daylight in the evening alone).

But I walked down to my east-viewing location and caught a glimpse of that delicate crescent Moon (only 5% lit) to the upper left of Venus. Very pretty! No earthshine was evident in the strong twilight, however. There were also some clouds in the east, so I had to watch Venus and the Moon dance through gaps in the clouds.

I've occasionally had visitors in my skygazing sessions. Twice last week a deer ran down the street just a few feet from me, and one morning a cat followed me down to the corner. It was rather amusing. Every time I turned around to look at it, it would also sit and watch me, only to resume following me when I started walking again. When I reached the corner to look at the sky, it sat and watched me until it decided it had seen enough.

Posted by: @stargazer

We have a few days of tolerable temperatures before the heat returns this weekend.

Ditto here!

Posted by: @stargazer

But I walked down to my east-viewing location and caught a glimpse of that delicate crescent Moon (only 5% lit) to the upper left of Venus. Very pretty! No earthshine was evident in the strong twilight, however. There were also some clouds in the east, so I had to watch Venus and the Moon dance through gaps in the clouds.

I love these descriptions, and can picture them so well in my mind's eye.

Posted by: @stargazer

I've occasionally had visitors in my skygazing sessions.

Likewise! These are fun, unexpected treats. Some deer here, too, at times, as well as skunks, foxes, raccoons. The cat sounds like it might have been related to Professor McGonagall (from Harry Potter).  

It is now 4:50 a.m., and I will be heading out for my walk at 5. Should be another very pretty pre-dawn, dawn, sunrise. 13°C / 55F, so not as cool as yesterday morn, but manageable (if I don't walk to-o-o fast, lol)

Posted by: @stargazer

(though the shortening days are certainly becoming evident. We've already lost about half an hour of daylight in the evening alone).

Indeed! The sun rises at 6:08 now, compared to 5:43 barely over a month ago.

EDIT: Another lovely walk. It is so very nice walking under the darker skies again, and into the dawn, rather than starting my walk when dawn is already in full swing. I saw all four planets again this morning; also the amazing thin, thin sliver of the Moon to the lower left of Venus, so deeper into the dawn. If one didn't know where to look, it probably wouldn't be seen. The Moon is New tomorrow, so you can imagine how finely slender it was this morning. Beautiful!

This morning was 11°C / 51.8°F, with a touch of humidity; not the fresh, cool, Autumnal feel of this past Tuesday morning. I started off in the dark, just before 5 a.m. under a perfectly clear sky. Some highlights are:

*Cassiopeia at the zenith

*Cygnus the Swan and the Summer Triangle (Altair, Deneb, Vega)

*the massive arc of the four planets: the shining eye of Venus in the ENE; ruddy Mars, ESE; Jupiter high in the South; Saturn a fair bit lower in the SW. Both Mars and Saturn winked out at 5:50.

*the Pleiades, to the right and much higher above Venus: this cutest of star clusters—imho—disappeared in the dawn's light by 5:20; it was good to spot it!

*Capella high in the ENE, above Venus

All wonderfully beautiful!

Here is a recent video about the Hubble Space Telescope:

l wonder how much longer it will be in operation.  The 32 years in space are an incredible achievement for those who designed it. Unfortunately, it will probably fall to Earth in a few years, and there isn’t a whole lot that can be done to save it. 🙁

I saw the Hubble replica at the Cape Kennedy Visitor Center in Florida. It is much larger that I'd expected -- about the size of a city bus. They have it suspended from the ceiling there.

As for it falling, what can we do? We still don't have the technology to get up there and back quickly, cheaply, and safely that would let us haul it into a higher orbit. Perhaps innovations in robotics and AI will let us do the job in the near future.