The world needs a reason to smile, and our solar system is here to help!
May 16 the crescent Moon will be positioned below Jupiter and Venus, creating a smiley face in the night sky. 🙂 The scientific term for such a phenomenon is occultation, and it happens when one celestial body, seen from Earth, obscures another in the background (in this case, the Moon will be between Earth and Venus).
#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
And the universe really could not have chosen a better moment for this phenomenon, which seems like a "sign from above". However, such occurrences are not as rare as you might think. In 2008 the look was from Asia and in 2012 from Australia to North America. However, they are easily missed as they are visible just a short time after sunset. McGill Media wrote that this phenomenon should be next month visible from all over the world, although whether we can actually see it will depend on where we live and the light pollution of the city. But given that we are currently in an "extinguished" state, this year we are more likely to only notice this phenomenon in the dark night sky. So in 2008 he was seen in Australia.
Perhaps it really is a cosmic sign. Or maybe just a coincidence. But next month, we hope the sky looks down on us and smiles at us. So let's have at least a little hope!
