Stargazers around the world have shared images of the crescent Moon approaching Venus in a dazzling celestial phenomenon.
Venus, the brightest and hottest planet in the solar system, has been climbing higher since October and will be at its most visible until end of this month.
On Sunday, the four-day-old crescent Moon was about two degrees away from Venus. The Earth’s natural satellite will also pass by Saturn and Jupiter until November 11.
Astrophotographers and stargazers captured the astronomical event during sunset and in the night sky.
“The Moon and Venus setting behind some distant mountains, as viewed from my backyard. I took thousands of pictures tonight,” Andrew McCarthy, an astrophotographer in the US, tweeted as he shared images.
The International Astronomical Centre, which has its headquarters in the UAE, also shared an image of the hot planet on Sunday.
Venus has been making headlines worldwide lately, as space agencies shift their focus to the ‘hellish’ planet again after decades.
Scientists are interested in studying the planet because of its mysterious atmospheric conditions that trap heat, similar to the greenhouse effect on Earth.
Research shows that the planet may have been habitable billions of years ago, but heat from the Sun trapped in the atmosphere caused Venus’s surface water to boil away.
The Earth’s neighbour was explored before by the former Soviet Union and Nasa in the late 1960s and 1970s.
Earlier this year, Nasa announced two new missions to the planet by 2030. Europe and India have also announced Venus missions.
The UAE plans to achieve a Venus fly-by within this decade and use the planet’s gravity to reach the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter – known as the main asteroid belt.
Related - The Hunter's Moon around the world, September 2021:
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
if you go
The flights
Air France offer flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Cayenne, connecting in Paris from Dh7,300.
The tour
Cox & Kings (coxandkings.com) has a 14-night Hidden Guianas tour of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. It includes accommodation, domestic flights, transfers, a local tour manager and guided sightseeing. Contact for price.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.