Clear skies this morning, the big "Y" in the sky is holding-up well. Jupiter is visibly pulling away from Mars (actually I guess Mars is pulling away from Jupiter). It really is a striking pattern and IMO, worth getting outside at 5:00 AM. Jupiter seemed appreciably brighter than it did just a few days ago. Perhaps the skies are more transparent this morning. Less smoke in the air. Lonely Fomalhaut hangs well below a waning gibbous moon in the south. A reminder of the crisp autumn nights ahead. I've seen remarkably few early morning sporadic meteors so-far this summer. That should change soon with the Perseids coming up in a few weeks. Favorable moon phase this year, a waxing crescent should be setting just about the time the radiant rises on the night of the predicted peak.