This amazing picture captures comet PanSTARRS as it streaks through the northern hemisphere, not to return for another 110,000 years.
Photographer Stefan Seip spent the whole day planning the shot as the comet passed over Hohenzollern Castle, just south of Stuttgart in Germany.
The comet is named after the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System in Hawaii that first spotted it in June 2011.
Symphony of the spheres: This amazing picture captures comet PanSTARRS as it streaks over Hohenzollern Castle, not to return for another 110,000 years. Photographer Stefan Seip spent the whole day planning the shot of the comet, which is named after the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System
Talking of the photo, taken last week, Stefan said: 'I used a whole day just planning to get this picture. The goal was to find a place far away from the castle, but with the setting comet above it.
'It was just a question of making sure I was in the right place at the right time.
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'From this place, I used a really big telephoto lens to combine the castle as well as the comet in an appropriate size in one single image. Luckily there was no cloud, the comet and castle lit up beautifully and it all paid off.'
The comet is visible next to a crescent moon in the western sky after sunset over Maryland in the U.S.
The comet was first visible to amateur astronomers in May last year and by October they estimated the comet and trail was 75,000 miles long.
It was brightest to northern hemisphere observers around March 10 this year.
Once it rounds the sun its orbit will bring it back in 110,000 years. It is literally a once-in-a-lifetime comet.
Glow: PAN-STARRS from the Flint Hills of south western Lyon County, Kansas
Stefan Seip is a professional photographer and astrophotographer, living in Stuttgart. He is the author of several photography books on the sky, the night sky and on astrophotography and travels the globe in search of the locations for his images.
Hohenzollern Castle was first documented in 1267. In 1423 it was completely destroyed after a nine months siege and from 1454 a second and larger castle was constructed.
It fell into ruin towards the end of the 18th century but was rebuilt in its present form, as one of the most impressive neo gothic castles in Germany.
It was also spotted above Las Vegas (top left) over the Stratosphere Casino Hotel, along with a waxing crescent moon