Doha: Over the past few days, excitement buzzed across Doha’s social media platforms with talk of a rare celestial event: A so-called “smiley face” forming in the sky at dawn on Friday, April 25. The viral claim suggested that the crescent Moon, Venus, and Saturn would align in such a way that a cosmic smile would appear overhead.
But for many skywatchers in Qatar, Friday morning brought a different reality. "Why the sky didn’t smile over Doha this morning?" asked many residents.
Earlier this week, Qatar Calendar House (QCH) released an accurate depiction of how the celestial trio would appear in Qatari skies. According to QCH, the Moon, Venus, and Saturn would be visible to the naked eye above the eastern horizon starting around 3:17 am, when Saturn rose, until just before sunrise.
Yes, it was a charming celestial lineup, but it was never going to look like a classic smiley face emoji.
Image posted by QCH on April 23, 2025 showing "the view of the sky above Qatar’s eastern horizon at dawn, April 25, 2025.”
Despite QCH’s clarification, many residents stayed up late or rose early, eager to witness what they believed would be a magical "smiling sky." Instead, they were met with a faint diagonal line of lights with Saturn barely visible to the naked eye.
Moon and Venus seen over Turayna pre-dawn, April 25, 2025. Saturn was too dim to be captured on a mobile phone. Pic: Ajith Everester
Ajith Everester, Qatar-based astrophotographer and founder of Everester Observatory, was quick to dispel the myth. He told The Peninsula that while the alignment did occur, the image circulating online was highly edited and didn’t reflect reality.
"There will be a crescent moon with two nearby planets, but not the dramatic emoji-style smile some expect,” Everester explained. “From my observations here in Turayna, there's simply no way to see that kind of smiling cosmic display.”
Everester had earlier told his social media followers that the viral image showing a perfectly formed smiley was misleading. The actual crescent Moon’s angle, combined with the vast difference in brightness between Venus and Saturn, made such a cartoonish sight impossible.
According to EarthSky, a trusted astronomy resource, two key factors debunk the viral image: First, the planets differ significantly in brightness. Second, the “smile” would actually be tilted, not upright.
That’s exactly what Qatar saw this morning -- a diagonally aligned Moon and Venus, with Saturn too dim to be noticed by most viewers. Definitely not the cheerful face many had hoped for.
“I saw posts about the Moon smiling. I woke up early hoping to see it, first in Mansoura then at the Corniche. The sky was clear, but there was no smile. It’s okay though, I just took my usual early morning walk with my own smile,” Joanna, a long-time resident of Doha, told The Peninsula.
As Everester reminded skywatchers: “Let’s just enjoy the real beauty of the night sky. It’s even more magical when we understand what we’re truly looking at.”
Sure, the skies didn’t exactly smile over Qatar. But hey, the beauty of space is still pretty awesome, even if it wasn’t as meme-worthy as many expected today!
