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Skygazers across the Northern Hemisphere are being treated to stunning views of Comet Neowise as it streaks past Earth. Amateur astrophotographer Javier Manteca<\/a> got a bonus: the International Space Station and comet Neowise are both seen transiting Madrid in this photo captured 11 July.<\/p>\n Taken at dawn, the picture is a composition of 17 stacked images exposed every 2.5 seconds to form the skyline.<\/p>\n Comet C\/2020 F3 Neowise is named after NASA\u2019s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission<\/a> that discovered it in March 2020. The comet completed its perihelion, or closest pass of the Sun, on 3 July and is headed back out of our Solar System, not to return for another 6800 years.<\/p>\n The comet\u2019s flyby of Earth is a rare opportunity to observe and collect data on these cosmic time capsules. Many spacecraft have observed the comet, including the ESA\/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory<\/a> as well as astronauts on board the International Space Station<\/a>.<\/p>\n ESA\u2019s comet chaser Rosetta<\/a> trailed comet\u00a067P\/Churyumov\u2013Gerasimenko for two years before landing the Philae probe on its surface. The mission amassed a wealth of data that will be studied for years to come.<\/p>\n As Comet Neowise zooms past Earth at a comfortable (and safe) distance of 103 million kilometres, stargazers can catch more views of the comet through July. Consult Earth and Sky<\/a> or Astronomy Now<\/a> for times and positions.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n