It hasn’t been the ideal summer for observing the skies, but as we move into September we live in that almost annual hope of an Indian summer, writes Niall Smith.

IT has always been something of a mystery to me as to when “summer” starts, but the most commonly accepted definition seems to be on 1st June, in which case summer covers the months of June-July-August.

Although the summer nights are gradually getting longer, they remain short in July and even away from city lights there is a faint glow in the night sky, writes Niall Smith.