Latest news with #AlKhatimObservatory
Khaleej Times
27-05-2025
- General
- Khaleej Times
Look: Dhul Hijjah Moon spotted in UAE from observatory in Abu Dhabi
As different countries from around the world announced spotting the Dhul Hijjah crescent to mark the start of Eid Al Adha, the UAE Astronomy Centre posted images of the Moon photographed in Abu Dhabi. The Astronomy Centre posted images of the Moon as photographed from the Al Khatim Astronomical Observatory in the UAE capital at 7.05pm. The Centre said that the first image was captured at 11am and the moon's angular distance from the sun was 5.5 degrees. The second image was captured at 3.15pm with the moon's angular distance from the sun being 6.5 degrees. The third image was captured after sunset at 7.05pm and the moon's angular distance from the sun was 7.6 degrees. The Centre did note that the images were results of a scientific report and clarified that the decision to officially declare the start of the month remains with authorities. The Al-Khatim Astronomical Observatory consisted of Osama Ghanem, Anas Mohammed and Khalfan Al Naimi. The UAE's Presidential Court later announced the official sighting of the crescent Moon, marking the beginning of Dhul Hijjah. Following the crescent sighting, the first day of Dhul Hijjah will begin on Wednesday, May 28, and Eid Al Adha celebrations will start from Friday, July 6.
Khaleej Times
20-05-2025
- Science
- Khaleej Times
Watch: UAE astronomers spot asteroid in Abu Dhabi skies
UAE astronomors have successfully spotted an asteroid in Abu Dhabi skies on Sunday, May 17, Astronomy Centre said on X. The minor planet, called C44UN71, appears in a clip shared by the centre as a tiny dot in the sky among stars that show up as moving black lines. The astronomical breakthrough was achieved by Abu Dhabi's Al-Khatim Astronomical Observatory at 11am UAE time. Before the UAE, the asteroid has been spotted by two observatories in the US state of Arizona. "Before being observed by the Al-Khatim Observatory, the inaccuracy in its coordinates was 0.4 degrees. After the observation, the Al-Khatim Observatory was able to reduce the inaccuracy to 0.0095 degrees," it added. Earlier this month, stunning images of solar flames, sunspots were captured and compiled in one clip by UAE astronomers from the skies of Abu Dhabi. The footage shows some solar prominences at the edges, small solar spicules all around the Sun's limb, a few dark solar filaments on the surface, and some sunspots.
