Sky matters; September is the perfect time to spot the Milky Way

SEPTEMBER brings with it the first real inkling that the summer constellations are on the way to being replaced by the generally brighter autumn and winter constellations, writes Niall Smith. 

The nights are getting visibly longer, the temperature is slowly dropping, and the sky itself takes on a crisper appearance as the sun dips farther and farther below the horizon.

It is worthwhile taking some time to sit outside and just soak in the majesty of the cosmos, and if you have reasonably dark skies and allow your eyes to adapt to the dark, which takes about 20 minutes, you should be able to see the Milky Way reaching from horizon to horizon and passing overhead.