iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
Across the world's largest cities, WRI estimates the longest heatwave each year could last 16.3 days on average under a 1.5°C scenario, but 24.5 days at 3°C
KT APPDOWNLOAD
All eyes on unique celestial spectacle
DUBAI - The UAE Astronomy Association, in conjunction with Al Ain Economic Development and Tourism Promotion Authority,
Will offer people an opportunity to observe the red planet tomorrow night from the top of Jebel Hafit in Al Ain. The mountain, which is 1,100 metres above sea level, will turn into a unique vantage point for viewing Mars through a telescope.
Mars will come closest to Earth in approximately 60,000 years. The best day for observation would be Wednesday, 9:51 GMT to be precise. Mars will be exactly 55,758,006km from Earth. The planet will be quite noticeable with the naked eye as a bright pink-red dot, slightly offset southerly from the line of eclipse.
The planet, which in Roman and Greek mythology has been perceived as the deity of war, for its reddish pink colour, will shine at a magnitude 2.9, meaning that it will be the brightest single point in the night sky on August 27. A good telescope will reveal dark surface features and a tiny white south polar ice-cap.
Mubarak Al Muhairi, Director General of Al Ain Economic Development and Tourism Promotion Authority, said preparation were under way to provide facilities for observation of the red planet. He added that the authority had plans to invite members of the Press and media to Jebel Hafit to watch this once-in-a-lifetime celestial event.
The Dubai Astronomy Group has decided to put up a five-inch refractor telescope along the Mamzar Cornchie, between Dubai and Sharjah, on the night of August 27 for interested people. The decision was taken following a late night meeting of the DAG yesterday, which was chaired by Hassan Ahmad Al Hariri, Head of the DAG.
"One of our members, Yousef Abdullah Al Marhoun, will be there with the telescope and people are welcome to join us and enjoy this unique celestial spectacle. We chose the Mamzar area because it is easily accessible for people to find and it is not too far," Mr Hariri said.
Mr Hariri will head a six-member team to Jebel Al Shams in Oman on the invitation of Sultan Qaboos University to view the red planet from there. They plan to leave Dubai today. The group will be taking along generators, sleeping bags and tents, besides plenty of other essential supplies.
The exact time of the planet's closest proximity to Earth is 2:52pm local time on August 28, when it will be 3.1 light minutes (55,758,006km) from Earth. However, the distance between the two planets remains within one per cent of this figure from August 20 to September 3.
During this extremely favourable observation period, one can see Mars after 9:30pm to the southeast, shining brilliantly like a beacon with a glow of ochre. Mars will not only be brighter than any star, but will also look different, as it will not twinkle and the colour will be at an intensity unmatched by any other celestial object.
Any good telescope with over 70mm aperture should reveal surface features on Mars near opposition.
Whether or not surface features, such as the polar caps and dark and light patches, can be seen will depend on the clarity of the Martian atmosphere. Dust storms can develop and shroud part or the entire planet within days of the onset of the storm.
The best magnification for observing Mars is about 35x per inch of aperture.
Blue filters may reveal some non-dust clouds on Mars. Orange and red filters may also enhance the contrast of the darker surface.
A planet is said to be in opposition when the Sun is on one side of the Earth and the other planet on the opposite. The result is that the celestial body is fully illuminated by the Sun and appears like a disk. A full moon is at opposition. It appears like a disk.
Opposition occurs on August 28 at 6pm GMT. The planet is best observed on August 26, 27 and 28.
Mars is a difficult planet to view, because it is small and does not have a lot of contrasting features. During an opposition, Mars is at its closest and therefore will be at its largest. Opposition with Mars occurs about every two years.
This opposition will bring Mars closest to Earth in recorded history. This will be the best opportunity to view Mars that mankind has ever had.
Mars is on an elliptical orbit. Earth is on a fairly circular orbit. When Mars' orbit is closest to the sun, a point called perihelion, Mars' orbit is also closest to Earth's orbit.
This opposition is occurring within three days of Mars' perihelion, that means that the orbits of Earth and Mars will be at their closest.
The red planet has a diameter of 6,794km. It is 227,940,000km from the Sun and has an orbital period of 686.98 days.
The rotational period for Mars is 24.6 hours. Mars is the planet that is considered the best planet (after Earth) to harbour and support life. Early astronomers like Percival Lowel held that there were irrigation canals on the planet's surface which, he believed, were built by intelligent beings.
More news from World
The move aims at taming record immigration levels that pushed country's population past 41 million earlier this year
Wickremesinghe, Premadasa, and Dissanayake are the main contenders for the post
His visit to Cairo aimed to salvage stalled negotiations mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States to end the conflict
Hundreds of pagers belonging to the armed group exploded in Lebanon on Tuesday, killed 12 people, including two children, and wounded up to 2,800 others
Over a week ago, India had reported its first case in a man who had arrived from western Africa in Delhi
Government faces challenge of accelerating IMF reforms
Thailand reported three more deaths on Wednesday, taking the toll in the kingdom to 18, with a total of 537 fatalities now confirmed across the region