Is it cold at night yet where you live? I think we're almost all from the Northern Hemisphere. I know of a couple of Aussies and two Brazilians here. Used to be a member from Paraguay...

It's about 50 degrees Fahrenheit here, and in the 80's during the day. The leaves will begin changing color any time now. I love the autumn leaves. They're about the only thing that looks good while dying.

Do you recall the line in, "MacBeth", where the aging monarch declares, "I am fallen into the sere, the yellow leaf..." ?

Here in northern Texas, the leaves erupt into a delightful kaleidoscope of gorgeous color in Fall. But I hate the bare trees that follow the fallen leaves, and the cold winds of winter.

Now is a good time to take a binocular and observe wildlife or to do some amateur astronomy at night. Jupiter is still prominent in the heavens.

Do any of you do things like that: astronomy or nature study? That helps to restore my soul after a hectic week in the city.

T-Star

Here in New Jersey it's dipped below 60 on a few nights, up to about 80 in the day. We're going through a much needed rainy spell right now, we had a drought this summer. The winter winds aren't too bad here, no flat plains of course. Biggest complaint I have against Autumn and the turning of the leaves is that is doesn't last long enough. Leaf burning was outlawed in New Jersey 30 or more years ago, that is something I miss.
I used to be something of a star gazer, a few years ago I set up my big Tasco telescope with a more powerful eyepiece, gazed at the Moon. Let some of the neighborhood kids look at, it took their breath away.
Closeby is the Delaware and Raritan Canal, to walk that with a Full Moon high in the sky when the leaves are down-you have to be there.

Is the Raritan Canal where those shark attacks took place in 1916?

T-Star

The shark attacks in 1916 were along the coast in Beach Haven, Matawan and Spring Lake.

The Delaware and Raritan Canal was built in the 1830's to connect the Delaware River and the Raritan River. The Raritan flows into the lower bay and the canal was used to carry freight from Philadelphia and coal from the antracite region in NE PA to New York.

Russ, a New Jersey native

Been 17 here one night. Leaves are dropping like,,,like... leaves!!

Got rid of the last of the cattle today.. Let'r Rip!!!

T-Star: Here in West Texas, it's 60s at night and still up in the 90s in the afternoon. No trees turn color; the leaves just fall off the trees; however we do go up to Cloudcroft and watch the aspens turn yellow. It's not much like the brilliant reds I used to see in Connecticut from the oaks and maples.

Jupiter is brilliant and in the West Venus is still bright; both must be on the same side of the sun as we are to be so brilliant. Jupiter is so close I can see the four Gallilean moons with my old WW I US 6X30 binoculars; I don't need my 16-40X spotting scope. A few weeks ago I put my scope on Venus and it was a miniature crrescent moon: must be geting close to becoming invisible as it passes between the sun and us.

We had a couple nights in the 30's, but it's warmed up again and only in the upper 40's at night now. I haven't seen much color yet, but we should soon.
I love this time of year. I recently moved to a bigger city here and I don't know what the trees here will look like. I had a tulip poplar at my old place that turned a bright yellow every Fall. The leaves off it were bigger then my hand. I'll miss that.

It's typical fall in the Poconos now. The pellet stove already has been running a few nights. Lots of bright leaves and cooler air. We had some rain which helped save the leaves for more color.

Saturday night we went to a friend's to teach him out to set up his telescope for a Cub Scout outing this weekend. Charlie focused on Jupiter and the family was amazed to see the moons!

I don't mind the winter at all. I could sit sewing in the warm house and look out at the blowing snow for hours.

We've had a bit of light frost here in SE Tennessee - down to the 30's/40's every night for the last week. Cool enough in the mornings to light the gas logs and have a coffee in front of the fire.

Trees are starting to turn but I don't think we'll have much color this fall due to the near-drought conditions. They'll probably mostly go straight from green to brown.

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VIVERE MILITARE EST

The mesquite, hackberry, and live oak aren't much for fall color here in west central Texas but we have some breathtaking night skies. November, after a colt front, seems to be the very best time for clear atmospheric conditions.

Ordinarily, we have our share of color here in Indiana, but it has been so dry this year that we will probably miss much of it.

This time of year I always think of the Rockies and the Aspens. I suppose because they are different than what I have seen for 50-some years, but I am always captivated by the autumn scenery out there. Don't get to see it nearly often enough.

The color is fading in northern Wisconsin. The oaks hold on the longest but don't normally match the brilliant colors of the maples. I love to step out the door into the dark of a 25 degree morning, with bow in hand, and see Orion the hunter ablaze in the sky...a northern fall should last forever!