If you’ve heard about the smiley face visible in the sky this week, you might be wondering what the hype is all about.
Here we’ll break down what you’ll be able to see, separate fact from fiction and reveal exactly what this smiley face is.
What is the smiley face?
In short, the ‘smiley face’ is made up of an alignment of Venus, Saturn and the crescent Moon close together in the morning sky.
But the face is on its side. Imagine a smiley face rotated 90° clockwise, and that’s the sort of pattern that will be formed by the two planets and the Moon.
The thin crescent Moon makes the ‘smile’, while Venus makes the face’s right eye and Saturn makes the face’s left eye.
You can see what this will look like in the simulation below. Tilt your head to the right and Venus, Saturn and the crescent Moon form a smiley face pattern.
It will be visible from about 05:00–05:30 local time, wherever you’re observing from, low down and close to the eastern horizon.
It’s not uncommon for planets to appear close to the Moon in the night sky, and a planet appearing close to the Moon is known as a conjunction.
Two or more planets close to the Moon – like this ‘smiley face’ – is known as a massing in astronomy.
Will the ‘face’ really be visible?
There are lots of stories about the 25 April 2025 celestial smiley face circulating online this week, some of which are realistically detailing what will be visible, and some of which are being rather liberal with the truth!
Venus is a bright morning object all this week, rising in the east around 05:00 and visible before the Sun rises just before 06:00.
Each morning leading up to Friday 25 April, Venus rises in the same place at the same time, but the Moon tracks eastward each morning, moving closer and closer to Venus as it does so.
The Moon is a thin crescent, having been a full Moon on 13 April and now waning towards new Moon on 27 April.
This means that, by the morning of 25 April, Venus and the crescent Moon rise together in the morning sky around 05:00 BST, Venus above the Moon.
Bright Venus and the Moon will certainly be visible with the naked eye, provided you have a clear view of the eastern horizon.
The thing likely to make this ‘smiley face’ alignment tricky to see for many observers, however, is Saturn.
Saturn is very faint – much fainter than Venus – and is the last of the three to rise in the morning, sitting below Venus and the Moon in the sky.
And Saturn’s faintness, its low position in the sky and the timing of its rising – close to the oncoming glare of the rising Sun – means it’ll be tricky to spot.
See the smiley face – quick, simple tips
If you do want to see the smiley face, you’ll need a clear eastern horizon, clear weather and good timing.
Get yourself out of bed early!
Find a spot where you have a clear view of the eastern horizon, unobstructed by trees or tall buildings, for example.
Look to the east before sunrise, around 05:00–05:30 local time (give or take, depending where in the world you’re viewing from).
First you’ll see a bright ‘star’ above the horizon. That’s Venus.
Next, the thin crescent Moon will rise.
Saturn will rise at roughly the same time as the Moon, or just after it, depending on where you’re viewing from.
Of this triangle, Venus is at the top, the crescent Moon is bottom left, Saturn is bottom right.
Tilt your head to the right, and you may be able to see these three objects form a smiley face.
A word on safety
Caution must be taken, too. Venus, Saturn and the Moon will be rising in the same area of the sky as the Sun, and just before sunrise.
As a result, you should be careful not to observe the rising Sun with the naked eye.
We’ve also seen some outlets suggest observing the smiley face with binoculars.
This is unadvisable, and certainly for beginners, given its proximity to the rising Sun.
The Sun will be rising shortly after Venus, the Moon and Saturn, and accidentally catching a glimpse of the Sun through binoculars or a telescope could seriously damage your eyesight.
We would recommend making this a naked-eye observation only, and even then care should be taken not to look directly at the Sun.
That aside, we hope you do manage to see this beautiful triangle formed by Venus, the Moon and Saturn, a nice celestial event to see us into the weekend.