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In the first month of 2025, residents in the UAE can expect two spectacular celestial events - the Quadrantid meteor shower and a planet parade.
The first meteor shower of the year, Quadrantids – which is also the only major one until August 2025 – will light up the night sky with bright streaks of light, making it a must-see for stargazers.
Alongside the meteor shower, a parade will also take place this year. While it won't have drums or marching individuals, it will involve cosmic bodies - a planetary parade.
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To welcome the New Year, UAE had fireworks, drone shows across different locations. But it seems the universe is also welcoming the New Year with its own, natural light show. Just four days into 2025, the skies will turn into a canvas of light as the Quadrantids meteor shower announces its arrival.
Unlike other showers, the Quadrantids has a relatively shorter peak activity duration, which means you will have to be quick if you want to catch it. Residents can see up to a dazzling 120 meteors per hour during its peak between 2am and 4am on January 4, according to Khadijah Al Hariri, operations manager at Dubai Astronomy Group (DAG).
As with most astronomical phenomenon, the ideal environment for viewing is clear, dark skies away from city lights. It's best seen near the constellation Boötes.
How to find Bootes?
Boötes is best viewed before dawn in January.
To find the Big Dipper and Arcturus as well as for more detailed view of the sky, refer to astrononomy apps for easier guidance.
Once you have located the constellation, scan as much of the sky as possible to spot the shower. Your eyes will take around 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to the dark, according to DAG.
The Quadrantids is one of the most intense showers of the year, known for its colourful and occasional extremely bright meteors, which are known as fireballs.
It is also the last major meteor shower until Perseids in August and Geminids in December, although smaller showers occur throughout the year.
What causes the meteor shower?
The Quadrantids occurs when small particles from the asteroid 2003 EH1, which is believed to be a dormant comet, burn up in Earth’s atmosphere, producing bright streaks of light across the sky, according to the DAG.
As these particles collide with Earth’s atmosphere at speeds of over 40 km/s, they vaporise, creating the stunning streaks of light we observe, the group added.
How to observe the meteor shower?
No special equipment is needed—meteors are visible to the naked eye. However, telescopes will be available at our event to view other celestial objects. Here's how you can do so:
The DAG will host an event in Al Qudra Desert to observe the meteor shower, from 11pm on January 3 to 3am on January 4, and telescopes will be provided.
From our perspective on Earth, multiple planets will appear close to each other in the night sky, said Khadijah Al Hariri.
"This alignment does not mean the planets are physically near each other in space, but they line up along the ecliptic plane from our perspective," she added.
While the parade will occur between January 10 and late February, observers in the UAE can enjoy best visibility for this phenomenon from January 21 to early February.
Sky-watchers can see 4 planets with the naked eye, and the remaining 2 with high-powered telescopes.
Are you one of those who will be craning your neck upwards to try and spot the celestial bodies? The best time to catch the parade is shortly after sunset, around 6.30pm, for planets near the horizon like Venus and Saturn, and after 8.30pm for Mars and Jupiter which stay visible until late at night.
Clear skies and an unobstructed horizon in a dark location will be an ideal viewing area, Khadijah said. While the planets will look very bright dots with the naked eye, if you can get hold of some telescopes, you can observe details such as Saturn's rings, and Jupiter's lines and moons. Here's the specific times to look out for the planets you can easily spot:
Uranus and Neptune can not be seen with the naked eye as they are faint, and require high-powered telescopes:
With increased public interest in space, according to Khadijah, events like the planet parade "provides a great opportunity for astrophotography, and fosters educational outreach to deepen interest in planetary studies and space exploration."
Will the planet parade affect weather on Earth? No. Since it is only an optical experience and the planets are not physically in a straight line, the parade has no impact on Earth's weather, tides, satellite operations or any space missions.
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