Space and Physics
PUBLISHED
If you're interested in space and have spent any time online over the last few days, you may have seen a claim that there will be an unusual(ish) astronomical event this week, as a "triple conjunction" will turn the Moon into a pleasing smiley face in the sky.
According to various posts, on the morning of April 25, you will see the Moon, Venus, and Saturn in the same patch of sky, with the Moon providing the smile and the two planets creating eyes.
But is that actually going to happen? In short, don't expect to see anything too spectacular, or resembling an emoji.
While Saturn and Venus will appear in the same portion of the sky as the crescent Moon, known as alignment, the face will appear pretty slanted in the Eastern sky, per EarthSky.
What's more, the two planets will not be of equal brightness. While Venus will appear brightly in the sky – the result of its proximity to Earth and the Sun, and its impressive reflectivity – Saturn will not be nearly as bright. The result is that you may see a smiley face in the sky, but with one dim eye, and a definite slant to it. If you'd like to see what your view will look like, free online astronomy software Stellarium will give you an idea ahead of Friday morning's event.
[H/T: EarthSky]
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