Witness Bigger And Bright Saturn In The Dubai Sky On Sunday Night

Stargazing is always great in the UAE, as there are plenty of spaces available to visit where there is little light pollution and you can soak in the night sky in peace.

If you are, like us, a stargazer who is always on the lookout for the next celestial event to see with own eyes…well, on Sunday, there will be a special event.

Saturn will be at opposition on Sunday August 27, meaning the sixth-furthest planet from the Sun will be closer to Earth than any other night of the year. This, of course, means it will be brighter than usual.

Once every year, the Earth passes between the Sun and Saturn, which brings the ringed planet opposite the Sun in our sky. This is called opposition by astronomers.

Your chance to see Saturn won’t be limited to a few minutes or hours as the second-largest Planet in the Solar System will be visible all night.

It will be best to try and see the massive ball of hydrogen and helium with a telescope.

You can also bag tickets to an event at Al Thuraya Astronomy Centre, Mushrif Park.

Tickets are Dhs50 per adult and Dhs30 per child. They include a lecture, a Q and A session, telescope observation and phone photography of Saturn through the telescopes. You can book the experience on the centre’s website.

Next week, on Thursday August 31, there will be a Full Moon, the second one in August, which is known as a Blue Moon.

You will have trouble missing the Blue Moon as it will be a Supermoon, which appears larger and brighter than other full moons.