The solar system’s two largest planets, Jupiter and Saturn, came together on Monday night to form a ‘Christmas Star’ seen from the UAE and around the world.
Sky gazers in Dubai visited Al Thuraya Astronomy Centre in Mushrif Park to view the rare celestial event through telescopes. The phenomenon will not occur again until 2080.
It was the first time in 800 years that the two planets had come this close together after sunset. The last time they were in near alignment was 400 years ago, but it was during the day in most parts of the world.
Conjunctions happen every 20 years, but they rarely make such a close approach.
Maria Peshcherova, a Russian resident of Dubai, joined the crowd at the astronomy centre.
“The telescopes are so powerful, so we can see pretty clearly,” she said.
“[The planets] appeared as dots in the sky, but if you look at it through the telescopes, it’s amazing.”
Imran Babar, an astronomy enthusiast in Dubai, described the event as an opportunity that comes once in a lifetime.
"It also shows us how insignificant we are in this whole universe and, overall, it’s a great learning and observation opportunity,” he said.
The planets could be spotted with the naked eye after sunset and at their closest alignment appeared just a 10th of a degree apart.
Hasan Al Hariri, chief executive of Dubai Astronomy Group, said Jupiter and Saturn could be seen together through a single lens of a telescope.
“This is one of those events people are interested in because it doesn’t happen very frequently,” he said.
The planets' near alignment inspired many astronomers to call the celestial event the "Christmas Star", as two of the largest planets shone bright together and appeared to form a single entity.
In the nativity story, the Christmas Star, also known as the Star of Bethlehem, led three wise men to the baby Jesus.
US space agency Nasa described the visibility of the planetary conjunction as “merely a coincidence” based on the planets’ orbits and tilt of the Earth.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
