Rare 'erupting' Devil Comet the size of Mount Everest only visible every 70 years will be seen in Australian skies

A comet larger than Mount Everest will be seen across Australian skies in the coming weeks for the first time in 70 years.

Comet 12/P Pons-Brooks, nicknamed the 'Devil' or 'Mother of Dragons' due to its horned tail, will be visible to Australians for a brief period without any special equipment. 

This opportunity to spot the comet with the naked eye will occur during the early hours of April 22, Australian National University astrophysicist Brad Tucker told 7News. 

To catch sight of it, simply gaze upward before sunrise. The comet will appear as a 'green, fuzzy dot'.

'Venus is the bright star in the morning sky — if you can see where Venus is, look below, and the comet will be somewhere in that line between the sun and Venus,' Mr Tucker explained.

'If you're in a dark spot, you should be able to see it with your naked eye. But if you have a pair of binoculars, even small ones, it will make it great.' 

More prepared stargazers will be able to see the comet in the weeks after with a telescope as it travels towards the sun before veering back into the outer reaches of the solar system.

The comet's famous horns come from 'cryo-volcanic eruptions' of ice as it rapidly heats up during its approach to the sun.

Each eruption creates a new 'tail' as gas, dust and ice shoot off the comet's surface and become visible alongside the constant tail seen on other comets.

The comet has been seen in the sky above the Northern Hemisphere since around the middle of March. However, it hasn't been visible in the Southern Hemisphere yet because it's been below the horizon there.

Now, as the comet keeps moving closer to the sun in its orbit, it will become visible here too.

'As it gets closer to the sun, that's when it's going to get brighter because more gas is coming off it.'

The comet will reach its closest point to Earth in June and will continue to be visible in the sky until July - but only with a telescope.

It will then be slingshot past the Sun and out of the inner solar system to not be seen for another 71 years.

Stargazers will be able to see a potential 'great comet' in October as Tsuchinshan-ATLAS reaches its closest point to Earth.

It has the potential to 'become visible to the naked eye and rival the luminosity of the brightest stars in the sky', according to Star Walk.