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Comet 46P/Wirtanan - nicknamed the "Green Christmas Comet" - makes its closest approach to Earth on December 16.

The comet is a small short-period comet that visits every 5.4 years, but this is its closest visit for decades. It was the original target for Rosetta's comet mission. It may be bright enough to see with the naked eye, but that depends on local sky conditions.

[Photo credit: taken by Gerald Rhemann through a telescope in the dark skies Namibia on November 26, 2018]