COMET Neowise has been captured in the skies by stargazers across Hampshire.
The newly-discovered comet is streaking past Earth, providing an incredible night-time show amongst the darkness.
Camera Club members and Echo readers have been sharing their striking images of the comet which is visible in the skies this month, as it first approaches the region.
Picture by Andrew Rundle
Andrew Rundle was lucky enough to capture the picture above in the early hours of Sunday morning.
He described the picture as: "Neowise Comet over ports downhill, Noctilucent clouds over the Royal Armouries."
Picture by James West
The comet will reach its closest point to Earth on July 23 and it is going to be visible from anywhere in the UK for the rest of the month.
Neowise Comet at almost midnight from Compton. Picture by Joshua Drake.
It is best viewed at about 2.30am in the north-east sky anywhere in the country.
Picture by Justin Webber
During its closest approach to Earth the comet will be about 64 million miles away - or about 400 times further away than the Moon.
Picture by Megan Hampton
It is currently showing just below and to the lower left of the bright star Capella in the constellation of Auriga - moving westwards.
Picture by Michael Palmer Photography
By the end of the month the comet will move into Ursa Major and if it remains as bright as it is now then you should see its tail pointing into the Big Dipper.
Picture by Tommo Ross Tomkins
The comet was discovered by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or NEOWISE, on March 27.
Nasa said: “Since then, the comet — called comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE and nicknamed comet NEOWISE — has been spotted by several NASA spacecraft, including Parker Solar Probe, NASA’s Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory, the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, and astronauts aboard the International Space Station.”
The space agency said the comet has become one of the few “naked-eye comets” of the 21st century after it “suddenly” became visible this week.
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.
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