Smiley in the sky

"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.

Schematic on the left; actual photograph on the right is a bit less impressive. But the way the world is going right now, a smiley face in the sky is better than nothing.