A conjunction between Jupiter, Venus and a crescent Moon on May 16 could result in this celestial smiley face as viewed from Earth.
Image Credit: TWITTER
April 22, 2020 - 9:56 AM
Check out the night sky on the evening of May 16, and you might see Jupiter and Venus lining up with a crescent moon to form a celestial smiley face.
The rare event is known as a conjunction, with the last one occurring in 2008, according to a Physics-Astronomy report.
A conjunction occurs when any two astronomical objects appear to be close together in the sky, as observed from Earth.
It is rare for Jupiter to align as close to the moon as Venus regularly does, so when this happens on May 16, it will look like Venus and Jupiter are the two eyes and the crescent moon a big smile below.
What is different about this particular conjunction, is the way the human brain identifies with it, the Physics-Astronomy.com report said.
“When we see this phenomenon, our minds are geared to ‘take a picture’ of it to give it a ‘label,’ and in this scenario, it will be a smiley face,” the publication said.
If you're planning to head out with your camera to take a picture of the conjunction, go here for tips on how to make your night sky photography stand out.
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