Why the ‘Smiley Face’ in the Sky Might Leave You Frowning
In Hyderabad, the crescent will be facing away from Venus, which—if anything—would resemble a frown rather than a smile.
By K Sherly Sharon
Triple Conjunction (Source: X/Mohit_Emkay)
Hyderabad:Social media is buzzing with claims that Saturn, Venus, and the Crescent Moon will align to form a smiley face in the sky. But if you're in Hyderabad, looking up and expecting to see a celestial emoji smiling back at you will leave you disappointed. Here’s why:
Earth, Moon, Saturn, and Venus are celestial bodies separated by thousands, if not millions, of kilometers. A conjunction occurs when two or more celestial bodies appear close together when observed from Earth. For the viral "smiley face" formation to occur, several conditions would need to be satisfied:
- As the viral posts claim, a conjunction of Saturn and Venus should be observed from Earth.
- The crescent moon must appear beneath this conjunction.
- The formation should be visible to the naked eye.
However, there are several reasons why experts believe that observers in Hyderabad will not be able to witness this "smiley face" formation.
The Rare Conjunction of Saturn and Venus
Venus orbits the Sun closer to Earth, while Saturn’s orbit is farther away, beyond Mars and Jupiter. Despite orbiting the Sun along different paths, there are rare instances—called conjunctions—when they appear near each other from our perspective. One such conjunction is taking place between April 25 and 26, 2025.
N. Raghunandan, founder-director of the Planetary Society of India, explained that Saturn is currently too dim to be seen easily, and the city’s light and air pollution further reduce visibility. Saturn will draw closer to Earth over the next few months, reaching its closest position on September 21, 2025, according to the Planetary Society of India website.
The Position of the Crescent Moon
The crescent moon's orientation also matters. In Hyderabad, the crescent will be facing away from Venus, which—if anything—would resemble a frown rather than a smile. Even in Western countries, where the crescent is positioned facing towards the Saturn-Venus conjunction, the alignment would still appear more like a sideways smile than an upright one. This phenomenon is better termed a "Triple Conjunction."
N. Raghunandan shared an image of this Triple Conjunction captured by Wisconsin-based news station WEAU.
Thus, the much-hyped smiley face formation of Saturn, Venus, and the Crescent Moon is not visible from Hyderabad. Even in parts of the world where the crescent appears correctly oriented, an upright "smiley face" is not formed.
The viral claims about a smiley face in the sky are exaggerated — and in reality, quite underwhelming.
