You could see Comet Neowise in the sky over the UK tonight - here's how

You might be able to catch a glimpse of Comet Neowise tonight.

Mostly clear skies over the last week have meant that many photographers have already managed to capture a snap of the newly discovered comet.

Comet Neowise reached its closest point to the sun on July 3 and is expected to reach its closest point to Earth in just a couple of days time.

That means now is the perfect time to try and spot it - but you'll need to stay up late.

Astronomers say you will need to head outside after the sun goes down as it is only visible in the dark.

So at the moment that's after 10.30pm or, if you'd rather have an early start, you could get up before around 5am.

Comet Neowise above Cered, Hungary(Image: AP)

You'll need to make sure you have a good view of the horizon and look north.

The comet will not be climbing very high in the sky, so if you're around trees or tall buildings you might not see it.

Comet Neowise will pass our planet at a distance of 103million kilometres, which is close in terms of passing comets - but around 400 times further away than the Moon.

After it has passed earth towards the end of this month, it will be plunging deeper into the solar system.

According to the BBC, Comet Neowise is moving westwards from the constellation of Auriga towards the Lynx constellation.

It is expected to move into Ursa Major on July 17 and then pass below the stars of the Big Dipper towards the end of the month.

The comet in the sky above Jodrell Bank Observatory(Image: Anthony Holloway)

But astronomers predict that now is the best time to capture it as it will likely be at its brightest.

The comet will be visible around the world until mid-August, when it heads back towards the outer solar system.

While it is visible with the naked eye in dark skies with little or no light pollution, binoculars are needed to see the long tail, according to Nasa.

Nasa’s Neowise infrared space telescope discovered the comet in March.

Scientists involved in the mission said the comet is about three miles across.

Its nucleus is covered with sooty material dating back to the origin of our solar system 4.6 billion years ago.

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.