Where to spot 'comet of the century' from Scotland

Stonehaven War Memorial and Comet A3 shining brightly to the right of it.Image source, Jamie Vince
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Jamie Vince took this picture from the Stonehaven War Memorial just after sunset on Monday. Jamie said: "The comet was visible by eye for about an hour before it fell into the horizon."

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Parts of Scotland could be among the best places in the UK to try and spot a comet before it disappears for another 80,000 years.

Comet A3 - full name Tsuchinshan-ATLAS - has been called the "comet of the century" because of how bright and visible it can be.

It has been spotted in recent nights, and was at its brightest for UK sky-gazers on Monday.

Forecasters said north-east Scotland and East Anglia would be the only areas where there would be occasional breaks in the cloud for potential sightings on Tuesday.

Image source, Mercuryblue/BBC Weather Watchers
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Two people comet-spotting on Monday near Banchory

Image source, Chris Pell
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Chris Pell spent a chilly evening with a few other star-gazers at the top of Garvock Hill looking out over the Howe of the Mearns to Cairn o' Mount. Chris said: "The clouds held off and the skies did not disappoint."

The comet is expected to be nearly as bright as Monday night before the brightness decreases further over the coming week.

The best time to see the comet is around sunset which will be between 18:00 to 18:30 BST across the UK, and to look west and close to the horizon.

Sunset times can be found on the BBC Weather website and app.

BBC Weather Watchers and BBC Scotland News website readers were among those who spotted the comet on Monday.

Image source, CMuzz/BBC Weather Watchers
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The comet was clearly visible from St Boswells in the Scottish Borders

Image source, Tomahawk/BBC Weather Watchers
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A photograph taken from Crieff

Image source, Trish/BBC Weather Watchers
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Clear skies above Aberdeen offered good views of A3

Image source, Dr Carbon/BBC Weather Watchers
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The comet was a spectacular addition to sunset at East Kilbride

Image source, Skyborg/BBC Weather Watchers
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A picture taken from Anstruther in Fife

Image source, Bill/BBC Weather Watchers
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A view of the comet from Musselburgh, East Lothian

Image source, Rosa Stark
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Rose Stark, who is 12 and from Edinburgh, managed to get a picture of the comet close to Barcelona while on flight from Newcastle to Ibiza.

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