'Comet of the century' and supermoon seen in the sky over Sussex

People were told to "look to the west" to spot Comet A3, which has been visible from the UK for the past few nights.

It has been called “the comet of the century” because of how bright and visible it could be, according to the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS).

Snapper Tom Shakespeare spotted the comet from Seaford beach last night.

The supermoon from Joanna Kaczorowska's garden (Image: Joanna Kaczorowska/The Argus Camera Club)Dr Greg Brown, astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich, said the comet “is visible in the early evening skies from the UK”.

READ MORE: Stargazer snaps out-of-this-world comet in skies above Brighton

Dr Brown said: “Low on the horizon at sunset, it is best to wait a while for the sky to darken a bit before trying to see it.

“Look to the west, just to the left of where the sunset was and, if you are lucky, it should be just about visible to the unaided eye.

“However, as it is rapidly fading as the days go on, a pair of binoculars or a small telescope will certainly help if you are struggling to find it.

“It is visible across the country, though a low western horizon is a must, and it certainly wouldn’t hurt to be out in the countryside where light pollution is less of a problem.”

Yvonne Kinasz's snap of the supermoon (Image: Yvonne Kinasz/The Argus Camera Club)The comet has been visible since October 12 and could be seen until October 30 using binoculars or even with the naked eye.

The comet was only discovered in January last year, but astronomers said it would last have been visible from our planet around 80,000 years ago when Neanderthals were alive.

As well as the comet, many saw the Hunter's Moon, the name for the full moon in October.

It was a supermoon because it nearly coincided with perigee—the closest that the Moon comes to the Earth in its orbit—resulting in a slightly larger-than-usual appearance.

The moon happened to be the brightest of the year and is the third of four supermoons in 2024.