91Èȱ¬

Well, I'm back on the early shifts here at 91Èȱ¬ West after a two-week absence and quite honestly, there was something rather welcoming and familiar about the 3Ìýa.m.Ìýalarm call and my almost regimented preparations for work. Perhaps it was our omnipresent cat, Pickle, trying new tactics to trip me over as I descended darkened stairs; or the familiar torch-like glow of fox eyes, foraging amongst the dustbins and urban clutter of a sleeping Bristol as I drove into work.

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And talking of glow, I'll keep eyes-to-the-sky in the early hours of tomorrow, for sure.

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Because not only are we officially into Autumn (the Autumnal Equinox being this evening, at 9.18 p.m.), but also in a prime position to view a phenomenon called the .

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You've probably heard it by a more familiar term: the False Dawn. The name has described by theÌýProphet Muhammed.

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Granted, you need to be well away from light pollution to spot it - which, combined with our forecast of some patchy cloud, might spoil my own viewing experience here in the wee hours of Wednesday. Plus staring at the sky while driving at night is hardly recommended.

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But it's unmissable, if you have the chance to view it (and a penchant for setting the alarm clock about 1hr before sunrise). Especially as there's no moon tonight to floodlight the night sky.

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Often mistaken for the first hint of true sunrise - hence 'false dawn' - the Zodiacal Light is a triangular whitish glow visible on the eastern horizon in Autumn, embedding the bright points of Venus and, to a lesser extent Mars, in a rather ghostly display that has its origins at the very genesis of our amazing planet.

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It's caused as sunlight bounces-off myriad particles of - all some 4 billion years old - formed as our solar system and planets first took shape. A genuine look back in time.

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