UAE: 5 planets aligned, visible in night sky tomorrow; what to expect in cosmic spectacle – News

After sunset on March 28, stargazers will be able to see Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars arcing away from the Moon

Stargazers in the UAE are in for a cosmic feast on Tuesday, March 28, as an alignment of five planets will be visible in the night sky.

After sunset, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars will line up in an arc with the Moon in the sky. Experts stress that whether people around the world can effectively see this alignment will depend on their geographic location and ambient light conditions.

According to Hasan Al Hariri, CEO of Dubai Astronomy Group, “This phenomenon can happen once or twice a year, depending on how the planets are aligned as seen from Earth. The planets are actually not aligned. When an observer on Earth When looking up at the sky, to them, the planets appear to be in a straight line. So, that’s a point of view. This happens because the earth rotates around the sun. Last year, this alignment happened around the morning. This time it’s Alignment will take place around the night.”

Hariri emphasized that while planets orbit the sun in different orbits and orbital periods, at times, they appear in the sky “clustered together” in an arrangement, and more than one planet can appear in a linear arrangement on Earth night sky.

He added: “For someone looking at it (from Earth), the alignment is really impressive. We have Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars, and the moon will add attraction. Mercury and Jupiter will Located very low, so the time to observe these planets is very short. But Venus, Uranus and Mars will be easily observed later. Uranus will not be visible to the naked eye. It can only be seen with the help of a telescope. That’s because City lights and the glare of the moon do not allow the naked eye to see the planet. Therefore, Uranus will be rather dim for us to observe from the city. When there is no moon, one can go to the desert to observe Uranus with the naked eye, but of course, a telescope can bring Better vision.”

Astronomers noted that while planetary alignments occur every few years, the configurations vary.

The last planetary alignment is the four-planet alignment on December 28, 2022.

“The alignment of the five planets can be observed from the Al Thuraya Astronomical Center tonight, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow at 8 o’clock. But at this time Mercury and Jupiter will not be visible. But Venus, Uranus and Mars will be visible, and the moon will also be a A beautiful sight that cannot be ignored. You can also see the details of the moon, such as craters, mountains and valleys.”

“It is always more interesting to observe the moon in its different phases than just the full moon. This sky gazing can be done with the help of the large telescopes we have at the Al Thuraya Astronomy Centre. To do this, I ask people to register on the website and come to the center Observe this celestial event,” Hariri added.