Astonished Scots have captured a meteor streaking and burning brightly across the night sky. The orange light and accompanying bang was spotted at about 00:50 by people on the Isle of Lewis, Stirling, Glasgow and in Argyll and Bute.

Nearby will be the Bull's brightest star, orange Aldebaran, fairly conspicuous in its own right, yet still shining only a fraction as bright as Venus.Finally, after being out of sight for more than a month,

Mercury is notoriously difficult to see from Earth, thanks to its proximity to the Sun. But on July 4, Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation, meaning the planet will be at its farthest apparent distance from the Sun in the evening sky. This event marks one of the best chances to see the elusive planet this year.