COMET NEOWISE

A rare cosmic event is taking place in the skies above the Earth. Neowise, a comet which was only discovered in March this year, has been visible to the naked eye for some days, and will remain so until mid-August.

It is the brightest comet visible from the Northern Hemisphere in around 25 years. Its close proximity to the Sun caused dust and gas to burn off its surface, creating a trail of debris.

Neowise - officially called Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE - passed closest to the Sun on July 3 and its closest approach to the Earth will occur on July 23.

It is named after NASA’s Neowise infrared space telescope, which spotted the comet in March.