Next year promises to be a spectacular one for stargazers and astronomy enthusiasts in the UAE, with a line up of celestial events that will light up the night skies.
From annual meteor showers to a rare total lunar eclipse visible in the country, there will be plenty of reasons to look skywards.
More residents are embracing stargazing as a hobby, inspired by the nation’s growing achievements in space exploration and its ambitious plans for lunar missions.
“2025 will be an exciting year for astronomy lovers in the UAE,” said Khadijah Ahmed, operations manager at the Dubai Astronomy Group. "We’ll witness meteor showers, planetary alignments, supermoons and even a total lunar eclipse will be visible. These events are not just fascinating but also offer a chance to connect with the wonders of the universe."
The organisation shared some of the top celestial events with The National that will grace the country’s skies in the coming year.
Meteor showers
Several meteor showers are set to light up the night-sky, offering breathtaking views of shooting stars.
The Quadrantids will be visible from December 26 but they peak on January 3 and 4.
They originate from the 2003 EH1, which is an asteroid or a possible comet. The shower is known to produce bright fireball meteors.
The next meteor shower in the Emirates will not take place until August, when the Perseids light up the skies on August 12 and 13.
This year during the Perseids, up to 100 meteors per hour passed across the skies, entering the Earth’s atmosphere at such high speeds that they created bright, explosive flashes of light.
Orionids will follow on October 21 and 22, followed by the Leonids on November 17 and 18.
Geminids will be the final meteor shower of the year, peaking on December 13 and 14. They are among the best to observe, with 120 visible meteors each hour when the event is at its most intense.
“These meteor showers are visible without any equipment and are best viewed away from city lights,” said Ms Ahmed.
The Dubai Astronomy Group usually holds viewing events for a fee for most of the meteor showers, with telescopes available.
Lunar and solar eclipses
One of the most anticipated events of the year is the total lunar eclipse on September 7.
The Moon will pass through Earth’s shadow, turning a deep reddish colour.
“This is one of the rare astronomical events happening in the UAE in 2025,” said Ms Ahmed.
“We will host an event for the eclipse and encourage everyone to witness it. You don’t need any special equipment – just go outside and look up."
A partial solar eclipse will be visible only in the Southern Hemisphere on March 29, however, the Dubai Astronomy Group will live-stream this event.
Supermoons
The year will feature three supermoons visible in the UAE, during which the Moon appears larger and brighter than usual due to its proximity to Earth.
The Hunter’s Supermoon on October 7, the Beaver Supermoon on November 5 and the Cold Supermoon on December 4 will offer mesmerising views.
Planetary alignments and oppositions
One of the standout events of the year will be the planetary alignment on January 11. Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus and Saturn will all line up in the evening sky shortly after sunset.
While Neptune and Uranus may be challenging to spot without telescopes, the other planets will be easily visible to the naked eye.
“This alignment is a remarkable sight that doesn’t happen often,” said Ms Ahmed. "We’ll host an event for it to guide people in observing this unique celestial phenomenon."
Additionally, the oppositions of Mars (January 16), Saturn (September 21) and Jupiter (December 7) will offer ideal opportunities to view these planets at their brightest and closest to Earth.
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In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
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TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
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