The Hope probe shared its first close-up image of Mars on Sunday in what was described by local rulers as a "defining moment" in UAE history.
It was taken from an altitude of 24,700km above the Martian surface. The impressive image showed Olympus Mons, the solar system's largest volcano, at sunrise. But the Red Planet was captured looking more yellow and orange than red.
Though the image may not have shown the vibrant colour some have come to expect from Mars, it is, however, a more accurate representation of the planet's typical colour.
Named after the Roman god of war, Mars is known as the Red Planet for its rusty-coloured surface. Its surface material contains a lot of iron oxide – a heavy element found in many planets – which gives the planet its reddish hue. Iron is black until it is exposed to oxygen and becomes red iron oxide.
According to space.com, iron oxide is forged in the heart of long-dead stars and swirled around in clouds of dust and gas before accumulating into planets through gravitational collapses.
The bulk of Earth's iron sank into its core, while much of Mars' iron also remained in its upper layers, because the planet is smaller and has a weaker gravity.
Mars appears to change colour depending on how volatile its surface is. Dust storms carrying oxidised iron into its atmosphere will give the planet a redder hue. Iron oxide also absorbs blue and green wavelengths of the light spectrum, while reflecting red wavelengths.
The photo captured by Hope was taken by the Emirates eXploration imager – one of three instruments aboard the space craft – hours after it entered orbit, at 12.36am on February 10.
It is a composite of red, green and blue images taken by the imager.
Mars' north pole can be seen in the upper left of the image, with clouds at the very top and middle right.
Ice clouds can be seen over the southern highlands (in the lower right of the image) and the Alba Mona volcano (in the upper left).
These clouds, which can be seen in different geographic regions and different times of the day, will help the Hope probe study the atmosphere.
The picture is the first of more than 1,000 GB of Mars data that the probe will send back to Earth. All science retrieved from the mission will be freely shared with more than 200 academic and scientific institutions around the world.
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
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Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Favourite music: Classical
Hobbies: Reading and writing
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
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Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
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EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
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15 years, 271 days old
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16 years, 68 days old
Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff
By Sean Penn
Simon & Schuster
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
