Illinois Skies This Week: A Smiley Face And Another Meteor Shower

Because there are just not enough emojis in our everyday lives, the skies have decided to add another really big one to the mix this coming Friday morning right before the sun rises. The "Celestial Smiley-Face," also known as "The Smiley Face in the Sky" will only be visible for a short time, but if the skies are clear, it will be well worth getting up early.

And, in what appears to be a heavenly BOGO offer, you'll also have a chance to see two meteor showers doing their thing at exactly the same time. It's like one of those TV offers where the announcer shouts "But wait, there's more!"

Let's get to the details, and when you should be looking skyward to see some really cool celestial happenings.

Let's Start With The Two Different Meteor Showers, One That's Starting To Wrap Up, And One That's Just Getting Started

The Lyrid Meteor Shower, which just peaked a few days back, is still illuminating the nighttime skies over Illinois for a few more days until it goes away until next April. During its peak, the Lyrid Meteor Shower produces anywhere from 10 to 20 meteors per hour, but now that we're past that period the number drops to between 5 and 10 meteors per hour (which is still well worth looking for).

The Lyrids may be pretty much done by the end of the weekend, but the Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower just got rolling on April 19th, and will have its peak viewing period on May 5th and 6th. However, just because the Eta Aquarids aren't at their peak doesn't mean you won't see them until then.

For a few more nights, both the Lyrids and the Eta Aquarids will be sharing the skies above Illinois, giving you a double meteor shower to check out.

This Friday Morning Is Your Chance To Catch A Very Rare Three-Part Sky Show

Scientists call it a "Triple Conjunction," and it doesn't happen very often. The first two parts are the Lyrids and the Eta Aquarids sharing the heavens, and the third part, or triple conjunction, is the rarest of them all--The Celestial Smiley Face/Smiley Face In The Sky.

You can catch the meteor showers from the time the sun sets until the sun rises, but to see the Smiley Face in the Sky you'll need to stay up really late or get up really early.

LiveScience.com:

"Venus is higher above the eastern horizon with Saturn lower, and a thin, crescent Moon a bit lower and a little farther north," NASA Solar System Ambassador Brenda Culbertson told local Kansas TV station KSNT. "The thin, crescent Moon looks like a smile. To some people, the triangle of bright objects may appear as a smiley face."

You can only catch the smiley face for a short, specific time. In Illinois, the best and only time to catch the Smiley Face in the Sky is right around 4:30am CDT. The sun will rise about an hour later, and the smiley face will be gone. Here are some more details: