Smiley face in the sky tonight!
1 Dec 2008
Stargazers will be treated to a rare sight in the sky tonight. Just as sunset begins, out to the west the bright planets Venus and Jupiter will appear close together in a side-by-side alignment, with the thin crescent Moon below them. The three of them will form a triangle that gives the appearance of a smiley face!
You won't need a telescope or any other optical aid to enjoy the show—just your own eyes.
This remarkable sight is called a conjunction, which is the word astronomers use to describe two or more celestial bodies appearing to come close together in the sky. In reality, the Moon, Venus and Jupiter are very far apart—it's just that tonight they'll happen to be in roughly the same line of sight.
If you look closely at the Moon, particularly as the sky gets darker, you should be able to see the 'dark' part of it glowing slightly. This is called 'earthshine', and results from sunlight reflected off the Earth and onto the Moon.
Don't miss this chance to witness this fantastic celestial sight…as it won't happen again until the year 2036!
Adapted from information issued by NASA / Sydney Observatory.
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