Jupiter, Venus, along with the moon will be aligning soon, which will create a smiley face in the sky. This is much needed in a time like these with all the stress and worry happening today.
Smiley Face in the Sky
This occurrence is called a conjunction. It is a rare appearance, so make sure you are on the lookout. The last time these planets aligned and created a smiley face was in December 2008. Almost 12 years later, it is finally happening again! It is said to happen this May on the 16th.
While this is a rare phenomenon, it has happened many times in the past. In the Philippines, in 2007, they had a similar sky light up at night.
The Science Behind It
When planets align, it is called an occultation. Space.com shares, “An occultation happens when one object passes in front of another from an observer’s perspective. A simple example is a solar eclipse. From a certain area on Earth, the Moon passes in front of the sun and either partially or totally blocks the light. So we can say that the sun is eclipsed or occulted.”
Other occultations have occurred. Venus has passed in front of Jupiter back in 1818. It is expected that this same thing will happen again in 2065.
However, this occurrence is considered a conjunction rather than an occultation. RMG explains, “In astronomy, a conjunction occurs when any two astronomical objects (such as asteroids, Moons, planets, and stars) appear to be close together in the sky, as observed from Earth.”
This is such a neat experience as the planets and the moon will align, but also how our brains will perceive it. While it is quite random, our brains still derive meaning from this.
These planets will align as if nothing happened, it is a normal event. However, our brains will interpret it as seeing a smiley face, and create more meaning behind it.
Venus and the moon come in close contact about once a month. But, when Jupiter comes into close contact, then we will see the eyes and create a smiley face in our brains. We will then determine that the sky is smiling down on us and things will be alright.
#HeadlineChallenge: The world needs reasons to smile – and the solar system is about to give us a helping hand. On May 16, a crescent moon, beneath Venus & Jupiter, will form a smiley face in the sky…@PeteBarronMedia goes with PUT ON A HAPPY SPACE. pic.twitter.com/G6Tmz0Lx34
— BBC Radio Tees (@BBCTees) March 30, 2020
Coming Soon
This similar thing happened in Australia in 2008. Venus was the left eye and Jupiter was the right, with the moon forming the face. Many were able to witness it and see it at night around 8-11 pm. Sadly, only Australia was able to see this event, but not the US or European countries.
This will happen again in Australia skies in 2036. However, something similar will be coming May 16, 2020.
Be on the lookout and be ready to capture this rare phenomenon. It is not every day that you see Jupiter, Venus and the moon create a smiley face in the sky.
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