The Moon tonight

**VL Berlina 5speed** · 01-12-2008, 09:45 PM

got a message of my mate saying
'every 5yrs 2 planes get close to the moon and make a smiley face, go outside and look'

i thought he was **** stiring but it actually is true,
go have a look

**bezz** · 01-12-2008, 09:48 PM

A smile that will light up the night sky

THE world may be facing its worst economic turmoil in decades, but the heavens are about to smile on Australia.

A rare cosmic alignment tonight will produce a smiling face - or an emoticon, depending on your generation - high over the country.

From soon after 8pm until just before 11pm the planets Venus and Jupiter will stare down from the western sky like two brilliant eyes. Directly below, the crescent moon will form a happy mouth.

"I think it will be very spectacular," Sydney Observatory's astronomer, Nick Lomb, said. "The three brightest objects in the night sky will all be in the same patch of the sky."

As the night draws on, Dr Lomb predicted, "the smiley face" - with Venus playing the left eye and giant Jupiter the right - "will improve and become a little more compact".

To the superstitious, unusual astronomical apparitions were often seen as omens. While Dr Lomb said he did not believe in such things, he noted that Monday's smiling face will appear on the eve of the next Reserve Bank's meeting at which it will consider interest rates.

"There was an upside-down sad face visible on the morning of April 23, 1998," he recalled. That day's Herald was dominated by news of conflict on Australia's waterfront, protests against child-care costs, big rises in bank fees and executions in Rwanda.

Dr Lomb urged people to attempt to photograph tonight's heavenly show, which will not smile on the US or Europe.

"It should be very easy to take a photograph with a digital camera and a tripod. Use a one-, two- or three-second exposure and, of course, no flash."

A smile that will light up the night sky - Science - Specials - smh.com.au

**VL Berlina 5speed** · 01-12-2008, 09:59 PM

well there you go

**LightningVP** · 01-12-2008, 09:59 PM

that is SWEET

*goes and takes a photo*

EDIT: I didn't believe at first as first post says "planes" so I was like WTF....Then I went outside and realised what he meant

-Merry Christmas-

**LightningVP** · 01-12-2008, 10:07 PM

just took this, rang my dad and he is going to get some with his professional camera :wo0t:

-Merry Christmas-

**Julie** · 01-12-2008, 10:09 PM

bugger too cloudy here to even see the moon

**pip78** · 01-12-2008, 10:11 PM

as soon as i read this post i was like "yeah right" but ran outside anyway to check it out lol that is absolutely amazing

Originally Posted by bezz;956671
"It should be very easy to take a photograph with a digital camera and a tripod. Use a one-, two- or three-second exposure and, of course, no flash."

i took some pics, hopefully they turned out ok, didnt use a tripod (dont have one)

[url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/a-smile-that-will-light-up-the-night-sky/2008/11/28/1227491827180.html

A smile that will light up the night sky - Science - Specials - smh.com.au[/url]