Don't miss the smiley face in the UAE skies in wee hours of Friday

The UAE sky is expected to witness the ‘smiley face’ phenomenon in the early hours of Friday, April 25, according to astronomers. The phenomenon is a rare astronomical event, also known as ‘triple conjunction’ in which Venus and Saturn align with the crescent moon to form a smiling face in the sky. In this formation, Venus and Saturn will act as the eyes of the smile, while the crescent moon will form the smiling mouth.

The phenomenon is expected to take place at dawn on Friday, April 25, 2025 and will be visible in the sky before sunrise. According to Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Emirates Astronomy Society, the full formation of the smiley face will appear in the eastern sky at 4am on Friday, UAE time, but it may not be fully visible to the naked eye.

Astronomers interpret this phenomenon as occurring when Venus and Saturn approach each other in conjunction with the crescent moon in the sky. During the astronomical phenomenon, the planets and crescent moon will be visible before dawn, but the full smiley face will be clearly visible in parts of Western Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

According to NASA and astronomy experts, the best places to see the entire phenomenon are the west coast of the United States, Mexico, southern Europe (Spain, Portugal), and North Africa (Morocco and Tunisia).

Astronomers advise people to be in areas with an open eastern horizon and a clear sky with little light pollution, to go out an hour before dawn and to look east to follow the alignment.