International Space Station lights up UAE skies

Star gazers managed to catch a glimpse of the craft as it hurtled through space on Monday evening

The International Space Station soared across the UAE's skies on Monday evening. Chris Whiteoak/The National

Star gazers enjoyed an out of this world experience as the International Space Station flashed across UAE skies on Monday night.

Residents looked up to the stars shortly before 8pm to catch a glimpse of the vast craft.

The space station is visible to the naked eye on a number of occasions throughout the year, with Monday's clear weather making for a perfect opportunity for a close encounter.

According to experts at Nasa, the ISS is the third brightest object in the sky, outshone only by the Sun and the Moon.

Space officials said it appears like a fast-moving plane or star when observed from back on planet Earth.

The ISS hurtles through space at a speedy 28,000 kilometres per hour, making 16 orbits of the Earth and passing through 16 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours.

UAE astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri made history when he spent eight days on the ISS, where he carried out experiments and held several live Q&A sessions with students. He returned to Earth on October 3.

During his time on the station, the former military pilot became the first Emirati in space, the first to hold a dinner featuring traditional local food and the first to give a tour of the ISS in Arabic.

Those who missed out on seeing the space station will have a second chance on Wednesday.

Nasa has a dedicated website keeping space enthusiasts up to date with when the space station will be visible in their part of the world.

The site indicates the space station will be visible in the UAE for for a further three minutes on Wednesday, from 7.53pm.