
UAE residents to enjoy ‘cosmic’ entertainment in the desert
On 25 and 26 January 2025, the Dubai Astronomy Group will organise a trip to the Al Qudra Desert to observe a unique cosmic phenomenon – a parade of planets.
The programme for the event includes a lecture on planetary alignment, then all participants will have the opportunity to observe Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus and possibly Neptune and Uranus through a telescope.
Guests will also be able to take some photos of the planets through the telescope on their mobile phones. All event participants should bring warm clothing, a blanket, ID, snacks and drinks.
From 21 January to the beginning of February, seven major planets of the Solar System are visible in the sky in their brightest positions: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The naked eye can see five of them at once: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
Such a parade of planets happens on average, according to NASA, once every 150 years. The planets do not approach each other, but revolve around the Sun in a plane called the ecliptic. The groupings of planets are due to orbital cycles.
Each celestial body has its own orbital period: for example, Jupiter takes 12 years to go round the Sun, whereas Mercury takes 88 days. Therefore, their orbits must coincide at some point.
The best time to watch the cosmic phenomenon is around 18:30 for Venus and Saturn and around 20:30 for Mars and Jupiter. Although the planets will also be visible to the naked eye, with the help of a telescope it will be possible to see them in detail – for example, Saturn’s rings and Jupiter’s satellites.
Source: What’s On