Kathy Thomasinni, age 8, of New Bedford, Mass., for her question:

JUST WHAT IS INDIAN SUMMER?

The season coming up in just about a month isn't called Indian summer. The next season is just the good old summertime. Indian summer is a period of time that comes in late October or early November while the leaves are turning for autumn. It is a period of time noted for fair weather and mild days.

The origin of the name Indian summer isn't definitely known.

One story says that the early American settlers named the period after the American Indians who told the settlers in summer that this period of fine weather would come in the fall. Another story says that the settlers used the name because this time of fair days gave the warlike Indians a chance to make more attacks on the settlers.

Indian summer is caused by a large mass of warm, tropical air. South winds carry these warm air masses toward the north over much of the country. During the Indian summer, the air mass stays stagnant or still. This causes the weather to stay clear and mild.