Where to spot the Milky Way in the UAE this summer
Calling all stargazers, here's a summertime treat that you don't want to miss.
The Milky Way is set to be visible from the UAE for five months, meaning there's no excuse not to catch a glimpse of the galaxy.
Becoming clearer in the night sky from May all the way until October, the spectacle will be bright enough that you won't need a telescope to watch it either.
If you like this: Stargazing in Dubai: Full line-up of astronomical events in 2025
Although you can spot the Milky Way with your own eyes, there's a high chance you'll never spot it in the city.
For the best view, a spokesperson for the Dubai Astronomy Group said that areas have clear skies with low light pollution, and humidity offer the best conditions for viewing. And new moon phases also provide a better view.
The best views can be seen away from the city lights in dark sky locations such as Al Quaa, Al Razeen or parts of the desert around Al Ain.
Dubai Astronomy Group will regularly host astrophotography sessions and take people out to the desert for stargazing sessions.
Wondering where to head for an evening of gazing up at the stars? Check out some of our top picks below.
Stargazing spots in the UAE
Al Quaa Milky Way Spot
A quiet and open spot (away from night pollution) is always a good bet for stargazing. Around 90 minutes from Abu Dhabi towards Al Ain, is the Al Quaa Milky Way Spot.
You'll need a 4×4 to get there and be adept at desert driving. It has its own location tag on Google Maps (23.604633,54.750256.) and is one place where you are sure to see something mesmerizing in the sky.
Free. Open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Abu Dhabi.
Al Qudra Desert
A regular spot for Dubai Astronomy's stargazing events, this desert can be found to the east of Dubai. You can also head here on your own accord and set up camp for a night under the stars.
Shuweihat Island
If you are interested in seeing a place that looks spectacular day or night, then Shuweihat Island is a must.
Around a four-hour drive from Dubai, you'll find salt flats and serenity. A 4×4 car is recommended when visiting.
Free. Shuwaihat island.
Hatta
Hajar mountain location Hatta, which is just an hour and a half away from Dubai, can be a good spot to see the night sky, but as the spot isn't as deep into the wilderness as some of the others, there may be some light.
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Times
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Rolls-Royce has wowed the City — can it charm airlines too?
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'Just a bit,' he responded sardonically. • Rolls-Royce reinstates dividend and announces £1bn buyback To rub salt into the wound, Rolls's chief executive, Tufan Erginbilgic, cancelled a lunch date with him at the biennial Paris Air Show next week, the 75-year-old claimed during a fringe event as Delhi hosted the annual conference of airlines trade body IATA. This allegation was later hotly disputed by the Rolls camp. Clark is not alone among airline executives in directing his ire at the Derby-based engineering giant. Bosses at British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have been left fuming at chronic problems with Rolls engines that have grounded planes, leading to swathes of cancellations. The situation is worse still on the other side of the Atlantic. Issues with engines built by the Connecticut-based Pratt & Whitney led to a violent sell-off in Wizz Air shares last week. Bosses at the London-listed budget carrier were forced to issue a profit warning and remove forecasts amid concerns about contaminants in the powdered metal used to make its turbofan engines. Sentiment in the Square Mile towards Rolls-Royce, meanwhile, could hardly be more different. The company's shares have risen more than 800 per cent since Erginbilgic, a former BP executive, took office in January 2023. Five-year profit targets have been hit early, and investors have been showered with dividends and share buybacks. Rolls now boasts a stock market value of almost £75 billion, putting it among the five biggest companies in the FTSE 100 last week. The company's success has been built on the back of building and maintaining aircraft engines. Civil aerospace generates 51 per cent of Rolls's revenue and nearly two-thirds of its profits. So having won back the City, can it do the same with the airlines that ultimately keep it aloft? Rolls produces four main engine types: the clunkily named Trent XWB-84 and XWB-97, as well as the Trent 1000 and 7000. 'Yes, everybody who has Trent 1000s has the right to be very cross,' said Nick Cunningham, an analyst at the equity research firm Agency Partners. 'But the whole aero-engine industry is struggling with the latest generation of engines because they collectively ran up against the laws of physics — where the attempt to optimise fuel consumption, emissions and reliability ended up with them pushing the envelope too far.' The Trent 1000 is facing durability issues. 'The blades end up looking like someone with very bad teeth,' said Cunningham. 'We have been taking decisive action and moving quickly to prioritise the resources needed to reduce the impact created by the current industry wide supply chain constraints, it's the highest priority for our civil aerospace division,' Rolls said. The problem with the newer XWB — the -97 version of the engine that, so far, Emirates won't accept — is its propensity to be compromised in hot, sandy conditions such as those in the Middle East. The turbine blades are designed with tiny air-cooling holes. Inspections have found that these have become clogged up with glass, contained in sand blown into the engine, which melts and restricts airflow. A spokesman for Rolls said that Emirates had accepted the XWB-84 version of the engine on its A350-900 jets. The -97 will power A350-1000 aircraft. The interim response has been for Rolls to increase the number of engine inspections and replace parts more frequently. The company is working on a longer-term fix and could make an announcement as early as this month on progress. The increased number of inspections is one reason why BA and Virgin's jets are grounded more often. This has been compounded, across the aero-engine industry, by supply chain problems and labour issues. 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'So we've invested a lot in our forecasting capability, and we've now got an even better view of our supply chain's ability to order and deliver parts. 'We're doing a lot of work with our quality teams, making sure we've got the right quality in the supply chain and, in some cases, placing employees in supply chain organisations.' Cunningham at Agency Partners pointed out that labour shortages in maintenance workshops have put further strain on the ecosystem. 'All those old guys in the workshop that you used to see — the ones who, in the case of the American workshops, look like members of ZZ Top, and their equivalents in Europe — either got fired during Covid, or decided that it wasn't worth working the last few years of their career after being furloughed,' he said. This has left large parts of the sector with less experienced staff who are not as productive as their older predecessors. 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British Airways recently gave the strongest sign yet that its patience with Rolls has run out in relation to the Trent 1000, however. BA's parent company, IAG, announced in May that an order of 32 Dreamliners would be powered by engines made by GE, Rolls's rival. Watson, Rolls-Royce's civil aerospace chief, said: 'Of course we were disappointed that IAG opted for GE on the recent Dreamliner order. But it's always our customers' choice. 'Let's not forget that at the same time the Dreamliner order didn't go our way, IAG placed a significant order of Rolls-Royce-powered Airbus aircraft [for BA's sister airlines Aer Lingus, Iberia and Level], which I think demonstrates the strong relationship we've built with IAG.' As for the Trent XWB-97 on which Clark at Emirates claims he is waiting, Erginbilgic has set aside £1 billion to find a long-term fix to legacy issues with it and other engines. 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Scotsman
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In the insane world of budget airlines better pack your canoe
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Scottish Sun
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Advertisement 5 A high-street shopper has managed to get her hands on the viral Ryanair-approved cabin bag from Primark Credit: tiktok/@hayleyrubery 5 Not only is it said to "fit everything" inside, but it also saved Hayley Rubery £60 too Credit: tiktok/@hayleyrubery 5 The Trolley Cabin Bag is available to buy in stores or online with the chain's new Click & Collect service Credit: Primark 5 There's three styles to choose from Credit: Primark Thanks to the new pull-along cabin bag from Primark, not only will you travel in style for your next trip, but you'll be able to fit in everything you need whilst saving on hold luggage costs. Hayley Rubery, a young woman from Norfolk, was able to get her hands on the 'viral Ryanair-approved bag' when shopping in a Primark store in Manchester. Thrilled with her purse-friendly find, the content creator who is known online as 'your budgeting bestie', took to social media to give her followers a close-up look at her new purchase. 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