Very few people are all smiles before sunrise. But if they’re willing to wake up and look up before dawn Friday, they’ll see a rare smiling face in the eastern sky.
The planets Venus and Saturn will be aligned with the crescent moon in a way that makes a smiling face. It could put a smile on anyone’s face, assuming they’re willing to wake up at 5 a.m. to see it.
“That’s the unfortunate part for most folks,” said Max Gilbraith, planetarium coordinator for the University of Wyoming Physics and Astronomy Department. “But if you’re up early enough, you should be able to catch it.”
Chipper Conjunction
The technical term for Friday morning’s space smiley is a conjunction. It's a phenomenon where celestial bodies appear closer than normal from our earthly perspective.
“It’s when any objects that aren’t normally close to each other get close together,” Gilbraith said. “Sometimes, two planets or a planet and a star will appear right on top of each other, or they’ll rise at the same time.”
Only planets can create conjunctions. The thousands of stars we can see with the naked eye stay where they are over the course of a human lifetime, but the planets constantly change positions as they orbit around the sun.
Conjunctions are unique but not particularly rare events to observe. It’s the amusing addition of the crescent moon that makes this triple conjunction of the three planetary bodies so intriguing.
Smile, Darn Ya, Smile
The chipper triple conjunction will appear above the southeast horizon between 5 a.m. and 5:15 a.m. Gilbraith said the moon will be the holdout that morning.
“The moon is the last part of the puzzle, because it’s closest to the horizon and sunrise that morning,” he said.
It’ll only be a slight smile. The moon will only be at 6.9% illumination, as the new moon will rise two days later, so only a slight sliver of the moon will be visible when it rises.
Venus will be higher and brighter in the sky than Saturn, right underneath the constellation Pisces. The moon will be slightly below Saturn when the visible sliver of it rises.
Mercury will also be visible that morning but rise after and far below the moon. That means the smallest planet won’t be in the proper position to nose into the space smiley (which is unfortunate.)
The good news is that it won’t be difficult to see the smiley once it’s out. Many celestial events are best viewed from a telescope or binoculars, but Venus, Saturn, and the moon are among the brightest objects in the night sky and can easily be seen by the naked eye.
“They’ll be bright enough to see from any metro area in Wyoming,” Gilbraith said. “The best place to see it would be from a high spot where you can see low on the horizon without any mountains in the east.”
Sunrise will occur between 6 a.m. and 6:15 a.m., so some ambient sunlight will be on the horizon when the triple conjunction is visible. Still, there’s nothing like starting the morning with a bright smile.
Pink Moon, New Moon, Flower Moon
The Pink Moon of April rose on April 12. It was also a micromoon, which means it appeared smaller than normal because it was at its furthest distance from Earth.
Gilbraith said the timing of this full moon is essential for the Catholic Church. The "Paschal moon" determines when Catholics and many other Christian denominations celebrate Easter.
“Easter always occurs on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox,” he said. “That’s why Easter’s date varies so much.”
The spring equinox, which is also known as “the first day of spring,” occurred on March 20. That’s why Easter came so late in 2025.
The new moon April 27 is a determining factor for other religious holidays, like Passover and Ramadan, that also follow the lunar calendar. The Flower Moon of May will rise on May 12, but it has no significance beyond keeping the lunar cycle intact.
Some might see the April 25 space smiley as an auspicious sign. In reality, it’s what David Bowie would call a “space oddity.” And, since it doesn’t happen all the time, Gilbraith thinks it’s a great way to start a Friday.
“As long as it’s not cloudy, you’ll be able to see it easily,” he said.
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
