A once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event lit up the pre-dawn sky today, thrilling sky watchers with what appeared to be a smiley face of moon. The rare planetary alignment, which gave the waxing crescent moon an emoji-like look, tickled and fascinated onlookers.
In Udupi, Karnataka, astronomy enthusiasts gathered at sunrise to witness and capture the phenomenon. At around 5:30 am, Venus and Saturn were on either side of the crescent moon, positioned in a manner that formed a smiley face in the sky. The alignment of these three celestial bodies surprised and delighted early birds fortunate enough to witness it.
The alignment attracted important notice from scientific establishments tracking planetary activity. Observable to the naked eye shortly before dawn, the show provided a brief but enchanting sight. Numerous also reported the religious aspect of the timing, as the event took place during Brahma Muhurta, a dawn-before-the-sun period which is said to be the best time to make wishes, felt by some to be especially efficacious.
Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district, crowds flocked as early as 4:30 am to witness the cosmic smile. But the sighting was poor, and by 5:35 am, the celestial event had already gone by. Though disappointed, some people left, yet the brief sighting of the moon with a star-like object continued to cast its spell over the onlookers.
