NASA anticipates an unusual astronomical show in April, with Venus, Saturn, and a crescent moon resembling a smiling face on the moon, which will take place in April 2021. Early indications from NASA indicate that a smiling face may greet us on April 25. This might be a delight for skywatchers around the world, particularly those in America, Europe, Africa, and portions of Asia.
People will be able to see a rare laughing moon showing up in the sky this month
NASA’s Brenda Culbertson has suggested that Venus, Saturn, and a slender crescent could combine to produce a nighttime visual that resembles a happy face. On Friday, April 25, a global alignment will be visible before sunrise, according to Culbertson, who examined Stellarium software and visited various locations, revealing it to be a significant issue. If you are in a decent position, you should be able to view it from anywhere on Earth. NASA suggests that Mercury can be seen below the iridescent trio but may not be visible everywhere due to its relatively low appearance compared to larger planets.
What you need to know about the triple conjunction forming the laughing moon
In astronomy, a conjunction occurs when two or more celestial objects appear extremely close together in the night sky. In this case, researchers call these events a triple conjunction because there are three objects involved. NASA’s Solar System Ambassador Brenda Culbertson informed local Kansas TV station KSNT that Venus is higher over the eastern horizon, Saturn is lower, and there is a thin, crescent moon a little lower and farther north. The moon appears to be smiling, slender, and crescent. The shiny triangle may resemble a smiley face to some people due to its appearance in the sky.
With favorable viewing conditions, the face can be seen from anywhere in the world, but there won’t be much time to see it. According to Culbertson, this rare alignment will be seen on April 25 at around 5:30 a.m.; afterwards, the sun will rise an hour later. Only a few days after the height of the Lyrids meteor shower, the conjunction will illuminate the sky. The sky show will continue, but with minimal interference from the declining crescent moon, while the peak could be seen somewhere between 23:30 and 5:00 local time on April 21st and April 22nd. Under dark skies, NASA predicts that up to 15 meteors will be visible every hour.
It appears that NASA might have discovered the way to make water on the moon
The hypothesis that the Sun supplies the elements needed to produce water on the Moon through a chemical process involving the solar wind striking the lunar surface dates back to the 1960s. Now, NASA-led researchers have validated this prediction in the most realistic lab simulation of this process to date. In a March 17 publication in JGR Planets, researchers said their findings had implications for NASA’s Artemis astronaut operations in the Moon’s South Pole. The Moon’s water is considered to be mostly frozen in permanently shaded areas at the poles, making it an essential resource for research.
The solar wind, composed mainly of protons, comes from the sun and sweeps through the entire solar system at a speed of about one million miles per hour. On Earth, it is evident when auroral light shows illuminate our sky. Most solar particles are kept from reaching the surface of our planet by our atmosphere and magnetic barrier. However, the Moon is not protected in this way. Researchers found that the lunar samples produced both water and hydroxyl, as indicated by the wavy line dip in their graph, although they cannot definitively determine whether water molecules were produced.
