Fancy Some Cosmic Positivity Tomorrow Morning?

Skywatchers could receive a bit of cosmic positivity if they look up shortly before dawn tomorrow morning.

Cosmic 'smiley face'

At around 05:30 EST, Venus, Saturn, and the moon will briefly align during a rare triple conjunction to resemble a smiley face when viewed from Earth. The trio will offer its grin for about an hour near the eastern horizon before the sun begins to rise - and will be visible to the naked eye to just about anyone in the world.

“Anyone wanting to try for a glimpse of the conjunction should find a clear eastern horizon from which to observe,” says NASA. Venus will be the higher of the two “eyes” while Saturn will be the lower, and the thin, crescent moon grin will appear slightly lower.

Mercury may also appear below the triple conjunction depending on your location, although for many it will remain out of sight below the horizon. Unlike other regional sky events such as a total eclipse, the upcoming triple conjunction should also be visible to everyone everywhere - provided the view is not obstructed by clouds.

So, as NASA advises: “Find Venus, Saturn, and the crescent moon gathered low in the east as dawn warms the morning sky.”

You may even be lucky enough to spot the last remnants of the Lyrids meteor shower - one of the oldest recorded in history, observed and reported as early as 687 BC.

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