“It should also be visible through the rest of October, but the further it moves, the higher in the night sky but further from the sun, so less bright,” the expert said.

The comet passed closest to the sun at the end of September.

The now-appearing comet gets its name from those who first discovered it last year, the Tsuchinshan or “Purple Mountain” observatory in China and the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System) telescope in South Africa, the Detroit Free Press reported .

Some sightings have been reported in California, Virginia and New Hampshire.

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Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected].