Skywatchers in Egypt and the Arab region hoping to witness a rare triple conjunction of the Moon, Venus, and Saturn forming a “smiling face” will be met with a different spectacle, according to Dr. Ashraf Tadros, professor of astronomy at the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics.
Dr. Tadros clarified to the Middle East News Agency that while the beautiful celestial event occurring in the pre-dawn sky on Friday will be visible, the “smiling face” configuration will only be apparent in far western regions like the United States and in the far east, such as Asian countries.
He explained that the Moon will appear between Venus above and Saturn below, creating a slanted and spaced-out arrangement in the Egyptian sky. This stunning দৃশ্য will be observable with the naked eye around 4:40 AM towards the eastern horizon, before fading with the increasing twilight of sunrise. Dr. Tadros also noted that Mercury might be visible near the eastern horizon just before sunrise, adding another potential element to the celestial display.
Dr. Tadros defined a “conjunction” as an astronomical phenomenon where a celestial body appears close to another from Earth’s perspective, highlighting that the apparent angle between the Moon and the planets on this day will be very small.
Meanwhile, Eng. Majed Abu Zahra, head of the Astronomical Society in Jeddah, pointed out that the appearance of this conjunction will differ across the globe due to three key astronomical factors, the most significant being the Earth’s spherical shape, which causes variations in the viewing angle of the sky from different locations.
He elaborated that regions in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly those near the equator, have a horizon angle that tends to make the path of the Sun and planets more vertical at dawn. This results in the Moon and the three planets appearing in an arc resembling a smile. In contrast, in the Northern Hemisphere, these celestial bodies will appear at an angle, preventing the formation of the “heavenly smile.”
Abu Zahra added that the Sun’s path near the equator rises almost vertically at dawn, contributing to the alignment of the Moon and planets in an arc. However, this path is more horizontal in northern regions, leading to the celestial bodies appearing more spread out and not aligned in a smile.
He further explained that while the Moon, Venus, and Saturn occupy relatively close positions in space, the apparent angles between them vary depending on the viewing angle from Earth’s surface. These angles are more favorable for creating the smile in southern regions compared to northern regions, where the bodies appear at different angles.
Therefore, while the triple conjunction promises to be a captivating sight in the Egyptian dawn sky, observers should anticipate a unique, slanted arrangement rather than the widely anticipated “smiling face.”
