The first meteor shower of spring will present a stellar show over the country this week, becoming slightly visible on Monday night and reaching top intensity late on Wednesday.
At the shower’s peak, 18 meteors per hour will shoot across the sky.
Named the Lyrids after the Lyra constellation, they are active each year from April 16 to 25, but are usually at their brightest on April 22 and 23.
With cloudy weather forecast on Monday and Tuesday, the shower is likely to be most visible on Wednesday evening. The coming new moon, on April 23, will coincide with the shower’s peak.
Better viewing conditions are expected from 10pm until sunrise, as there will be little lunar interference.
The Lyrids are one of the oldest recorded meteor showers and include ‘fireballs’ created by debris from comet Thatcher. They date back to 687BC and were first spotted by the Chinese, Nasa said.
The comet takes about 415 years to orbit the Sun and it is expected to be visible to humans again in the year 2276.
No special equipment is needed to watch the meteor shower but with the stay-home order in place, residents can watch the live stream or observe the phenomenon from their balconies or gardens.
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Match info
Who: India v Afghanistan
What: One-off Test match, Bengaluru
When: June 14 to 18
TV: OSN Sports Cricket HD, 8am starts
Online: OSN Play (subscribers only)
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
