People across the UK will get their best chance at seeing Comet Neowise this week as it reaches peak brightness at its closest point to the Earth.
The newly discovered comet has been visible in the skies over the Uk this month as it passes through the Solar System.
The comet has passed the sun and has been heading towards the Earth - and on July 23 it will reach its closest point - appearing brightest in the sky.
A NASA spokesman said: “Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) was discovered in late March and brightened as it reached its closest approach to the Sun, inside the orbit of Mercury, late last week.
“The interplanetary iceberg survived solar heating, so far, and is now becoming closer to the Earth as it starts its long trek back to the outer Solar System.”
Paul Sutherland, author of Skymania said: “Comet Neowise will head through Lynx and into Ursa Major, passing beneath the familiar asterism of seven bright stars known as the Big Dipper, or the Plough. This will keep it low in the sky before dawn, but it will increasingly be visible earlier in the night, in a darker sky.
“By the third week of July, the comet will be on view all night long and stargazers will be able to view it before going to bed, rather than having to get out of their warm beds before dawn!”
While the comet is likely to be visible with the naked eye, binoculars could come in handy if you have them.
Mr Sutherland added: “Binoculars will be very helpful in finding it, even if the comet is just visible in the brightening twilight.”
The best way to see Neowise is to look east, just above the horizon, on a clear, dark night.
The comet and its tail will be visible below the constellation known as the Plough, Big Dipper or Ursa Major.
