WATCH: Comet in the sky over Washington
Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE is putting on a once-in-a-lifetime display as it crosses outside of Earth's orbit on its way back to the outer parts of the solar system.
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The comet Neowise as seen over Crater Lake in Oregon's Crater Lake National Park on July 16, 2020.
The comet passed just inside Mercury's orbit on July 3, where the intense heat from the sun caused gas and dust to erupt and created the large visible tail of debris, according to NASA.
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Comet NEOWISE shines above Santa Maria della Pieta Church in Rocca Calascio, L'Aquila, Italy, on July 11, 2020.
The comet was first discovered by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) on March 27, 2020, and became visible to observers on Earth earlier this week.
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Comet NEOWISE soars in the horizon of the early morning sky in this view from the near the grand view lookout at the Colorado National Monument west of Grand Junction, Colo., July 9, 2020.
Comet NEOWISE will be closest to Earth on July 22, and can be most easily seen in the Northern Hemisphere before dawn in the northeast sky or just after sunset in the northwest, according to NASA.
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Comet Neowise passes behind St Mary's Lighthouse in Whitley Bay, United Kingdom, in the early hours of July 13, 2020.
Although the comet's core may be seen with the naked eye, the tail is more easily seen with binoculars. After it fades from view in August, the comet will not return to Earth's skies for another 6,800 years.
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In this image released by NASA, Comet Neowise, left, is seen in the eastern horizon above Earth in this image taken from the International Space Station on Sunday, July 5, 2020.
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Comet Neowise is seen over Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China, July 9, 2020.
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Comet NEOWISE is seen at sunset above the Port of Molfetta in Molfetta, Italy on July 11, 2020.
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Comet Neowise is seen next to the Memorial Chapel on the Haunsberg in Salzburg, Austria on July 13, 2020.
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The Comet NEOWISE is seen above the ruins of the Cook Bank building on July 20, 2020 in the ghost town of Rhyolite, Nevada.
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Comet NEOWISE is seen in the night sky over Mindelheim, Germany on July 13, 2020.
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Comet NEOWISE is seen passing over Stonehenge, July 12, 2020.
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Comet NEOWISE is seen over Broadway Tower, Worcestershire in the early hours of the morning, July 11, 2020.
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Comet NEOWISE is seen on July 19, 2020, in Joshua Tree, California.