A RARE extraterrestrial emoji will form in the sky, but viewers need to be up before the sun rises to see it.
Early Friday morning, those smiling at the night’s sky will see the stars smiling back as a smiley face will be visible just above the horizon.
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The alignment of Venus, Saturn, and the crescent moon will make it look as if a smiley face is looking down on the Earth.
The crescent moon is waning towards a whole new moon, which is expected on April 27.
It isn’t uncommon for planets to form a conjunction with the moon, where they appear close to the moon in the night sky.
However, conjunctions aren’t always visible to the naked eye.
Luckily, viewers won’t need a telescope or special device to see the emoji-like formation.
Those on the East Coast will be able to see the formation at 5:30 am on April 25.
“You can see this just with your eyes and without any special equipment, but you’ll need to be awake at 5 am and have a clear view of the east,” astronomer Jess Lee told The Daily Mail.
“You’ll need to turn your head sideways and really squint, but then you might be able to see the two planets as the eyes and the moon as the mouth of the face.”
The exact time to look would depend on the moonrise where you are located.
As the crescent moon clears the horizon, it will reveal its darker, shadowed side.
For the best view of the smiley face, viewers should try to get an unobstructed view of the horizon, without any buildings or trees blocking their vision.
“On the morning of the 25th of April, in the eastern sky just before sunrise you’ll be able to see a thin crescent Moon,” Lee said.
“Above the Moon, Venus will be bright and easily visible.
“Below Venus on the other side of the crescent moon Saturn will technically be visible.
“However, Saturn rises just before the Sun and the sky will be brightening by the minute. Saturn will be faint and hard to see, so it will be a challenge to spot but give it a go!”
Viewers are advised not to stare directly into the sun as it rises due to Saturn’s proximity to the horizon.
The Moon – our closest neighbour explained
Here’s what you need to know…
- The Moon is a natural satellite – a space-faring body that orbits a planet
- It’s Earth’s only natural satellite, and is the fifth biggest in the Solar System
- The Moon measures 2,158 miles across, roughly 0.27 times the diameter of Earth
- Temperatures on the Moon vary wildly. Nasa explains: “Temperatures near the Moon’s equator can spike to 250°F (121°C) in daylight, then plummet after nightfall to -208°F (-133°C). In deep craters near the Moon’s poles, permanent shadows keep the surface even colder — NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has measured temperatures lower than -410°F (-246°C).”
- Experts assumed the Moon was another planet, until Nicolaus Copernicus outlined his theory about our Solar System in 1543
- It was eventually assigned to a “class” after Galileo discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter in 1610
- The Moon is believed to have formed around 4.51billion years ago
- The strength of its gravitational field is about a sixth of Earth’s gravity
- Earth and the Moon have “synchronous rotation”, which means we always see the same side of the Moon – hence the phrase “dark side of the Moon”
- The Moon’s surface is actually dark, but appears bright in the sky due to its reflective ground
- During a solar eclipse, the Moon covers the Sun almost completely. Both objects appear a similar size in the sky because the Sun is both 400 times larger and farther
- The first spacecraft to reach the Moon was in 1959, as part of the Soviet Union’s Lunar program
- The first manned orbital mission was Nasa’s Apollo 8 in 1968
- And the first manned lunar landing was in 1969, as part of the Apollo 11 mission
Experts also warn viewers not to use telescopes or binoculars, as it could magnify the sun’s rays and cause eye damage.
Lee said anyone who misses the conjunction should keep an eye out for any other formations they may see, as the planets aligning with the moon is a common occurrence.
“The planets pass through the same area of sky where we see the Moon, and so it won’t be rare for Saturn or Venus to be near the moon – however, how often we can interpret them as smiley faces, I think depends on individual imaginations,” Lee said.
Those who miss the smiley face formation should make sure to catch the expected meteor shower the following week for more cosmic action.
The meteor shower will take place from May 5-6, according to the American Meteor Society.