A dazzling comet will streak through the night sky this month.
Visible from the UK, Comet Neowise is bright enough to be seen with the naked eye and has already been spotted over Norfolk.
It was discovered in March and reached its perihelion - the closest point in its orbit to the sun - on July 3.
The comet will make its closest approach to Earth on July 23, passing the planet at a distance of 103 million km - about 400 times further away than the moon.
Astronomers say it will be challenging to see, however, thanks to its low altitude and the long daylight hours of summer.
It will be visible both before sunrise and after sunset from mid-northern latitudes, but will never climb very high in the sky - meaning it could be obscured by trees, hills and buildings from many people's vantage points.
The brightness of the July sky means it could also appear quite faint.
When to see Comet Neowise in the UK
According to the BBC's Sky at Night magazine, the best time to look for Comet Neowise will be on or after July 7 when it will be visible in the morning and evening.
It is currently moving slowly westwards through the constellation of Auriga, where it can be seen to the lower left of the bright star Capella.
Its path will take it into the constellation of Lynx by mid-July, when it will be visible all through the night but remaining low in the sky in the north.
It will move into Ursa Major on July 17 before passing beneath the stars of the Big Dipper towards the end of the month, and into Coma Berenices.
What is a comet?
Comets are 'cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock and dust that orbit the Sun', leftover from the formation of the solar system, according to NASA.
Their size can range from a few miles wide to tens of miles wide - but as they orbit closer to the sun, they heat up and spew gases and dust into a glowing head that can be larger than a planet.
As these substances stream off the comet, they form a spectacular gas and dust cloud that tails behind them for millions of miles - and can often be seen from earth with the naked eye.
