A rare celestial event on Thursday and into Friday will give skygazers a creative way to see a smiley face in the early morning sky. Though it’s not exactly an emoji, this interesting grouping will show a crescent moon plus two rising planets, Venus and Saturn, close to the horizon. Together they’ll form a quirky sideways “smile” for watchful viewers, creating plenty of potential for amateur photographers with the right angles.
“Find Venus, Saturn, and the crescent moon gathered low in the east as dawn warms the morning sky. Mercury is also visible below them for those with a clear view to the horizon,” NASA said in this month’s skywatching tips.
NASA’s chart of the April smile event with the moon, Venus and Saturn.
This isn’t quite a lunar occultation, where the moon fully obscures the planets, but the event is very close to one. If you want the best chance of seeing this interesting convergence, you should head out before twilight.
When reached out to Amateur Astronomer’s Association for advice, they let us know, “Thank you for reaching out! Stargazers all across the US will be able to see this conjunction in the early morning hours. They should look towards the eastern sky just before sunrise, local time. … All stargazers need is an open view of that eastern horizon and clear skies” The club also recommended using the Stellarium Web site as a tool to calculate the exact best time to view for your location.
When you’re ready, start with a few simple steps:
- Go out while it’s still fully dark, well before dawn in your location.
- Ensure you have a clear view of the eastern horizon (where the sun rises). Clouds or morning fog may obscure the event.
- Find a higher spot with a clear view of the horizon. Nearby hills or mountains could hide the event, so the clearer, the better.
- Find the moon’s crescent at the bottom of the horizon.
- Look to the upper right of the crescent and watch for two bright lights to shine. You may think they’re stars, but they’re planets. Venus should be significantly brighter than Saturn, giving the smile a fun, lopsided look.
- If you’re taking photos, wait until the brightening twilight has started to obscure nearby stars while the planets still remain easily visible.
The smiley face is part of Venus’ continual shift from an evening spectacle to a morning event throughout April. Mercury will also be making an appearance if you have a horizon view that includes especially low stars.
