DUBAI // Some people get star-struck, but on Monday as a rare supermoon slowly rose from the horizon, beaming its extra radiant glow over the night sky, hundreds of people witnessing the spectacular event at Mushrif Park were clearly moon-struck.
“The atmosphere here is beautiful,” said Hasan Ahmad Al Hariri, his voice clearly filled with awe. “I’m just watching the moon rise and it looks quite big compared to normal days, and it’s so beautiful.”
Mr Al Hariri, chief executive of the Dubai Astronomy Group, has been fascinated with the wonders of our solar system ever since he bought his first telescope for Dh100 and pointed it towards the moon more than 40 years ago.
But none of those past sightings compared with the spectacle of the supermoon phenomenon observed on Monday night, he said.
“There are two things happening at the same moment now.
“We have the illusion of the moon. As it is coming up, it looks quite big, but also at the same time, this one – from my experience, because I observe the moon a lot – it looks quite bright and bigger.
“It easily is over-shining everything.”
The supermoon is the closest that a full moon will be to Earth since 1948, and a similar one will not be visible until 2034, according to Nasa.
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› What is a supermoon?
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Mr Al Hariri said the rarity of the phenomenon has attracted a record number of stargazers to the moon-sighting event that the Dubai Astronomy Group organised at Mushrif Park in Dubai.
“The number of registrations has exceeded all expectations.,” said Mr Al Hariri. “We were expecting something like 50 or 60 people.
“Now we have something like 200-plus and people are flowing in. So the expectation is that maybe we can reach up to 500 people, easily.”
This year, there will be three supermoons: October 16, November 14 and December 14. But what is particularly special about Monday’s phenomenon is the fact that the moon will become full within about two hours of perigee – when one side of the moon is about 50,000 kilometres closer to earth than the other – at the same time when the Earth, sun and moon line up, making it an “extra-super moon,” according to NASA. At this moment, the moon’s Earth-facing side can be as much as 14 per cent closer to us making it appear much larger because it shines 30 percent more moonlight onto our planet.
For Sheeraz Awan, operational manager of the Dubai Astronomy Group, witnessing the event with his family was especially meaningful.
“I feel like I’m part of history,” said Mr Awan. “This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
rpennington@thenational.ae
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
Schedule
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WHAT%20IS%20'JUICE%20JACKING'%3F
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing
In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.
While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.
In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all).
“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”
Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.
"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."
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Match info
Uefa Nations League Group B:
England v Spain, Saturday, 11.45pm (UAE)
Elvis
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
BOSH!'s pantry essentials
Nutritional yeast
This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.
Seeds
"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."
Umami flavours
"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".
Onions and garlic
"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."
Your grain of choice
Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."
The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley