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UAE Perseid meteor shower: Residents star struck by celestial show

Ras Al Khaimah - Around 250 people come together on top of Jebel Jais to witness the “best meteor shower show” of the year

It was an unforgettable night for the hundreds of stargazers gathered at the top-most point of the UAE’s highest peak, Jebel Jais, to witness the “best meteor shower show” of the year.

Around 250 people of various age groups had their eyes glued to the skies as the Perseid meteor shower put on a show of celestial magnitude on Thursday night.

What started as a quiet, informative session at a gathering organised by the Dubai Astronomy Group, with the audience seated comfortably on bean bags under a dark, star-covered sky, soon transformed into an excited affair as the audience gasped with at every meteor that went blazing across the skies.

Along with the spectacle of the magical star clusters, planets, constellations and meteors, what came as a pleasant surprise for the audience was the cool weather, accompanied by cloud formation and a soft breeze that brought down the temperature to almost 26 degree Celsius up there, way more comfortable than the scorching summer temperatures across the country.

A number of informative sessions were held during the gathering, including an introduction to the Perseids Meteor Shower phenomena; moon telescope observation; Milky Way photography (Phone+DSLR); sky-mapping session; telescope observation of Jupiter and Saturn and naked-eye observation of the meteors.

Zainab Shaukat, an excited stargazer who had come all the way from Sharjah with her mother Yasmin and a group of friends, said the experience was nothing short of “magical”.

“I absolutely loved the arrangements and hospitality by the Dubai Astronomy Group, who gave me a chance to do something that had been on my bucket list for long – to watch a meteor shower. For the first time I saw star clusters, and the planets Jupiter and Saturn with their moons. The comfortable weather and great location made the experience more memorable,” she told Khaleej Times.

Hasan Al Hariri, Dubai Astronomy Group CEO, said it was a very successful session, with the Perseid shower producing possibly the greatest number of meteors on the night of August 12 and morning of August 13.

“Apart from the phenomenon, we are grateful to the RAK Tourism Development Authority for giving us access to this restricted location, far from the hubbub of the city. Not only did we get to witness a number of meteors, but also enjoyed such beautiful weather in the month of August, which is extremely hot and humid.”

“Our purpose of holding such events — apart from imparting knowledge about our infinite universe — is also to give people a chance to take a break from their busy, stressful everyday lives and come out and see the beauty of God’s creation,” Hariri concluded.

There cost for the session was Dh250 per adult and Dh150 per child. The Dubai Astronomy Group also provided mats, water and snacks.

saman@khaleejtimes.com