IN THE early hours of Sunday morning astronomy enthusiasts from across the region gathered at the Keeper's Pond car park in Blaenavon following an open invitation from South Wales Argus astronomy columnist Jon Powell to observe Comet NEOWISE.

The comet did not fail to deliver.

With the landscape to the northeast featuring the Sugar Loaf mountain silhouetted by the encroaching light of dawn, the icy visitor from the depths of space made for a fine spectacle.

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Probably the best showing of a comet since that of Hale-Bopp in 1997, Comet NEOWISE, (a left over chunk of debris from the formation of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago), was easily visible to the naked eye, positioned low on the northeastern horizon. The near-dawn sky was made near perfect with a gibbous phase moon, plus the planets Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, also on view over to the south.

A tremendous tail created by the gases and ice being burned off from the comet's nucleus by the heat of the Sun was clearly visible too. The nucleus measuring approximately three miles wide.

Comet NEOWISE will pass within 65 million miles of the Earth on July 22, before heading out to the far reaches of the solar system on a roughly 6,800-year orbit.

Don't worry if you missed out, Comet NEOWISE switches to an evening apparition over the coming weeks.