Christmas will come early for Australia's budding astronomers, with not one but two space spectacles scheduled for Friday night.

The Christmas Comet and the Geminid meteor shower are due to light up the night sky within hours of one another.

The Christmas Comet will light up Australian skies on Friday night. Credit:AAP

The Christmas Comet - which is named for the time of year it appears - is making a close appearance to Earth, something it only does every five and a half years.

It is expected to emerge from 9pm AEDT as a green and fuzzy comet in the east, close to the constellation known as Orion, or the Saucepan, ANU astronomer Dr Brad Tucker said.