COMET Neowise has been captured in the skies by stargazers in Dorset.

Camera Club members and Echo readers have been sharing their striking images of the comet which is visible in the skies this month.

Bournemouth Echo:

Picture by Mark Gaston 

Mark Gaston was lucky enough to capture the picture above in the early hours of Saturday morning.

He said: "This image was taken around 3am this morning from my bedroom window in Lytchett Matravers with just a camera on a tripod with a short time exposure."

Bournemouth Echo:

Picture by Ollie Newman 

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.

Bournemouth Echo:

Comet Neowise captured from Hengistbury Head. Picture by Jim Maclannan.

It is best viewed at about 2.30am in the north-east sky anywhere in the country.

Bournemouth Echo:

Picture by Debbie Hilton 

During its closest approach to Earth the comet will be about 64 million miles away - or about 400 times further away than the Moon.

Bournemouth Echo:

Picture by Nick Lucas 

It is currently showing just below and to the lower left of the bright star Capella in the constellation of Auriga - moving westwards.

Bournemouth Echo:

Picture by Nick Mudge 

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.

Bournemouth Echo:

Picture by James West

The comet was discovered by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or NEOWISE, on March 27.

Bournemouth Echo:

Picture by Roy Hornyak

Bournemouth Echo:

Picture by Scott Terrell

Nasa says: “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.”

Bournemouth Echo:

Picture by Paul Cobb 

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.

Bournemouth Echo:

Picture by Mark Pelleymounter

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.

Bournemouth Echo:

Picture by Peter Sanders 

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.

Bournemouth Echo:

Picture by Andy Hewitt

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.