A comet will be visible in the skies over the UK this month as it heads towards the Earth.
Comet C/202 F£ - known as NEOWISE - will make its closest approach to the Earth at the end of July.
It will be visible in the constellation of Ursa Major, also known as the Plough and the Big Dipper, reports The Mirror.
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.”
The comet will reach its closest point to Earth on July 23, at which point it will be at a distance of 103 million kilometres, according to Paul Sutherland, author of Skymania.
He explained: “The comet’s track is currently carrying it between the constellations of Auriga and Gemini, so in early July you will have to look to the north-east, a little way beneath the bright star Capella, to find it.
“During the rest of July, 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.”
