FIRST of all, apologies to readers who were looking forward to seeing the International Space Station crossing the Cumbrian sky over the past two weeks but were unable to because the dates and times were not printed.

I'm assured this won't happen again.

The ISS will return to our skies in a month or so, and I'll give you all the information you'll need to see it then.

In the meantime, I've had quite a few people asking me why there seems to be so many satellites in the sky at the moment, a lot more than usual.

This is because every week or so the company SpaceX is launching a rocket containing a batch of 60 "Starlink" satellites which they intend to use to provide internet access for people and communities in remote areas not served by traditional phone lines, etc.

So far they have launched over 1,000 of these satellites, which are visible in the night sky as moving stars, like fainter versions of the space station.

On almost every clear night now dozens of these satellites cross the sky, often one after the other in a chain.

This is why many people are commenting on how many satellites there are in the sky at the moment.

Amateur and professional astronomers alike are very concerned that these satellites will ruin the night sky.

And with SpaceX planning to eventually have 42,000 of them in orbit that seems inevitable.

So, get out there and enjoy any clear night that comes along, before the night sky we know and love vanishes. It is a beautiful thing.