Stargazers will likely be handled to a uncommon sight this week when Venus, Saturn and the Moon align to create a ‘smiley face’ formation within the night time sky.
This uncommon alignment will likely be seen for about an hour at round 5.30am on Friday morning, with dawn happening at round 6.30am.
Jessica Lee, an astronomer on the Royal Observatory Greenwich, stated: ‘On the morning of April 25, within the japanese sky simply earlier than dawn you’ll have the ability to see a skinny crescent moon.
‘Above the Moon, Venus will likely be shiny and simply seen.
‘Under Venus on the opposite facet of the crescent moon, Saturn will technically be seen.
‘Nevertheless, Saturn rises simply earlier than the Solar and the sky will likely be brightening by the minute.
‘The planets cross via the identical space of sky the place we see the Moon, and so it gained’t be uncommon for Saturn or Venus to be close to the Moon – nevertheless how typically we are able to interpret them as smiley faces, I feel, relies on particular person imaginations.’
Ms Lee has suggested stargazers to rise at 5am in an effort to have a transparent view and to look in direction of the east.
‘You’ll want to show your head sideways and actually squint, however you then may have the ability to see the 2 planets because the eyes and the Moon because the mouth of the face,’ she stated.
No particular gear is required to view the occasion.
One other meteorological occasion happening this week is the Lyrid meteor bathe, with its peak occurring on Tuesday night time.
The Lyrids take their identify from the constellation of Lyra the Harp, from which the capturing stars seem to originate.
Meteor showers, or capturing stars, are induced when items of particles, often called meteorites, enter Earth’s ambiance at speeds of round 43 miles per second, burning up and inflicting streaks of sunshine.
The Lyrids happen between April 16 to 25 yearly.
Get in contact with our information crew by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For extra tales like this, check our news page.