SUMMER is a bit of a challenging and frustrating time for astronomers, writes STUART ATKINSON. The sky never gets truly dark - certainly not dark enough to allow us to see the 'faint fuzzies' we enjoy in winter, things like galaxies and nebulae. Instead, after sunset we look at any planets that are in the sky, cross our fingers for displays of noctilucent clouds and watch the space station cross the sky. And weather permitting, during the day we look at the Sun.

Of course, looking at the Sun directly through a telescope is very dangerous; unless you have it fitted with a special filter to cut down the Sun's light to a tiny fraction of its normal intensity you can, and will, blind yourself. But with the right equipment it's possible to see amazing detail on the Sun. Dark sunspots - magnetic storms which dwarf the Earth - can sometimes be seen dappling its bright face, and fiery loops and trails of gas can be seen leaping off its limb.

This coming Saturday (July 1) the Eddington Astronomical Society of Kendal will be holding a special SunWatch at the Brewery Arts Centre to show people the Sun. They'll have special telescopes set up in the gardens there to give totally safe views of the our nearest star, and answer any questions people might have about astronomy and space too. The free event begins at midday and goes on until 2pm.

In the meantime, please remember to keep an eye on the northern sky after midnight. This past week there have been a couple of modest displays of noctilucent clouds, and a big display could happen literally any night now.

Stuart Atkinson