Astronomers in Dubai have their telescopes at the ready and "eclipse glasses" on hand for the longest solar eclipse of the millennium.
People in the UAE can witness the Moon obscuring up to 34 per cent of the Sun from 9.15am to 12.29pm tomorrow, according to the Dubai Astronomy Group, which is organising a viewing at the New World Private School in Tawar.
The eclipse will be most complete - and the Sun almost totally obscured - at 11.06am local time over the Indian Ocean, where it will last 11 minutes, eight seconds. There will not be another solar eclipse that long until December 23, 3043, an astronomer said.
"The kind of alignment that is going to happen this time is a rare alignment," said Hasan al Hariri, the head of the Dubai Astronomy Group.
"Usually the duration of a normal eclipse does not go beyond five minutes. Eleven minutes, that is something really odd, out of the way."
The Dubai Astronomy Group is inviting people to join them from 9am to 11am at the school, where observatory telescopes will be in position and special glasses - which have a darkened film that blocks 99.99 per cent of the Sun's harmful rays, according to Mr al Hariri - will be available for Dh10. The eclipse also will be projected live onto a large screen at the school.
Mr al Hariri warned observers not to stare at the eclipse unprotected, as the Sun can cause permanent damage to the eye. He recommended viewing it through its reflected image on water.
"The sensitivity of our eye makes it very difficult to look directly into the Sun," he said.
"Sun rays are too powerful for our eye. Take a bucket of water and put it on the ground and look at it there. You can see the image reflected very clearly."
The eclipse will be visible on a 300km track that traverses central Africa, the Indian Ocean and eastern Asia, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) in Houston.
Amateur astronomers this week also could have had a glimpse of a genuine near-miss of an extrasolar object as an asteroid - a chunk of rock estimated to be about 11 metres in diameter - passed within 13,000 kilometres of the Earth. That is well within the Moon's orbit, and made it visible to anyone with a good telescope last night, experts said.
The object is estimated to have an orbit that is almost exactly one Earth year long. That led to initial speculation that it might be a leftover piece of junk from space missions. But close examination showed it to be an asteroid, according to Nasa, the US space agency.
It is estimated to be fainter than most stars in the sky as it passes through the constellations of Pisces, Orion and Taurus.
View a graph of the year's first eclipse here.
mchung@thenational.ae
The Laughing Apple
Yusuf/Cat Stevens
(Verve Decca Crossover)
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
The past winners
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2010 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2011 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2012 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2013 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2015 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2017 - Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
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The specs: 2019 Mini Cooper
Price, base: Dh141,740 (three-door) / Dh165,900 (five-door)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder (Cooper) / 2.0-litre four-cylinder (Cooper S)
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Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
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UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
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Price, base: Dh69,900
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Cadillac XT6 2020 Premium Luxury
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Engine: 4.0L twin-turbo V8
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Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
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- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
