IT SOUNDS like we might have some frosty nights and chilly mornings coming up, if the weather forecasters are to be believed (ha!) so what's visible 'up there' at the moment? writes STUART ATKINSON.

After dark, the Milky Way is still dominating the sky, even though summer - so often said to be the best time to view it - is now just a fading memory. At this time of the year the Milky Way is a beautiful sight from a dark sky location, cutting the sky in half like a broad misty band running from the north-east to the south-west.

Early risers can enjoy seeing Mars, the Red Planet, shining in the east before dawn. It's not particularly bright at the moment but it is clearly visible to the naked eye as an orange-hued star to the upper right of much brighter Venus. In summer next year Mars will be almost ridiculously bright, like an orange spark in the sky.

Meanwhile, if you want to see the International Space Station this coming week you can, but you'll need to be up early to catch it drifting silently across the sky. Go out on the following dates, at the times given, face the west and wait for a 'star' to rise and move from your right to your left - that will be the space station.

November 3: 4.39am and 6.15am. Nov 4: 5.23am. Nov 5: 4.31am and 6.06am. Nov 6: 5.14am. Nov 7: 4.23am and 5.58am. Nov 8: 5.05am and 6.41am. Nov 9: 4.15am and 5.49am.