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Spectacular moment meteor shower lights up sky ahead of rare ‘smiley face’ planetary alignment this week

Venus, Saturn and the crescent Moon will align in the sky later this week, forming a ‘smiley face’ - what time should you look for the ‘smiley face’ planetary alignment?

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Spectacular footage shows a meteor shower lighting up the sky ahead of a rare ‘smiley face’ planetary alignment. The Lyrid meteor shower is a burst of meteor activity occurring around mid to late April.

In 2025, the Lyrid meteor shower will be active between April 16 to April 25. A dark site with an unobstructed view of the sky would be the best environment to catch the meteor shower. There’s set to be a rare ‘smiley face’ planetary alignment in the early morning sky, around 05:00 BST, on April 25.

The ‘smiley face’ is made up of an alignment of Venus, Saturn and the crescent Moon. To see the smiley face, you'll need a clear eastern horizon and clear weather, plus good timing..