Mars will be visible from anywhere in the night sky on Thursday as it passes close to the Moon.
The Red Planet will look like a rust-coloured star, just above the Moon, as they line up in conjunction.
The celestial event is taking place only hours before Nasa’s Perseverance rover will attempt a perilous landing on Mars, becoming the latest mission to explore the Red Planet.
Mars will be visible from 6.31pm in the UAE, in the western horizon, according to Al Sadeem Astronomy Observatory.
— Al Sadeem Astronomy Observatory (@AlSadeemAstro)
February 17, 2021
At that point it will be 199 million kilometers from Earth, which is about 11 light minutes away, meaning anyone looking up at it will be seeing it as it was 11 minutes previously.
Experts said the Moon will be about 42 per cent lit, so Mars should shine bright enough to see without a telescope.
A few hours later, Perseverance will attempt to touch down on Mars’s Jezero Crater, which features steep cliffs, sand dunes and boulder fields.
Nasa will live-stream the event, with coverage starting from 11.15pm UAE time, although touchdown will take place at 12.55am early on Friday.
If successful, Perseverance will search the ancient area of Mars for evidence of past life, helping to pave the way for future human exploration and even colonisation.
It follows two other successful missions by the UAE and China to explore Mars’s atmosphere.
The Emirates made history on February 9 after its Hope probe successfully entered the Red Planet’s orbit.
Hours later, China’s Tianwen-1 spacecraft followed suit.
The orbit-rover, Tianwen-1, will attempt to touch down in May for a 90-day exploration, studying the planet’s soil and rock composition and search for signs of buried water ice.
The Hope probe, a weather satellite, will study Mars’s atmosphere and the seasons of its 687-day year.
In a message on Twitter, when Hope successfully entered Mars’s orbit, Nasa congratulated the Emirati team on its success by quoting the 10th century Iraqi poet, Al Mutanabbi.
"Dear Hope Mars Mission, congratulations on arriving at Mars! In the words of the poet Al Mutanabbi: "If you ventured in pursuit of glory, don’t be satisfied with less than the stars."
UAE's Hope probe to explore
mysteries of Mars:
Hope probe captures an image of Mars after clocking one million kilometres since its launch into space on July 20, 2020. Courtesy: Sheikh Mohammed Twitter
An image beamed back from the UAE's Hope probe on December 7 showing Saturn and Jupiter in close proximity to each other. Courtesy: Hope probe / MBR Space Centre
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid shares an image of Mars taken by the Hope Probe on December 3, 2020. Courtesy: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid / Twitter
Media and officials at Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai cheer as the Hope probe is blasted into space from Japan on July 20, 2020. Ahmed Jadallah / Reuters
At the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre headquarters in Al Khawaneej, where Emirati engineers monitor Hope's journey to Mars, on July 27, 2020. Antonie Robertson / The National
Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Dubai, stand for a photograph with the Hope Probe team, during an honouring ceremony at Qasr Al Watan on July 31, 2020. Hamad Al Kaabi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs
Fatima Al Bannai (on stage - centre right) and Saeed Al Gergawi (on stage - centre left) present during a ceremony to honour the Hope probe team, at Qasr Al Watan, on July 31, 2020. Courtesy: Hamad Al Mansoori for the Ministry of Presidential Affairs
The Red Planet, where the Hope probe arrives on February 9 for an orbit insertion attempt. Getty
Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences and chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency, briefs Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, on the Hope probe mission on February 1. Courtesy: Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid / Twitter
A billboard on Al Khail Road advertises the UAE Mars Mission. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Burj Khalifa lights up for the Hope probe on February 6, 2021. Giuseppe Cacace / AFP
Zakareyya Al Shamsi, deputy manager of mission operation, at Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in Al Khawaneej, Dubai, on February 2, 2021. Antonie Robertson / The National
The Hope Probe will attempt a Mars orbit insertion on Tuesday, February 9. Courtesy: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid / Twitter
Sheikh Mohammed is briefed by the Hope probe team at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre headquarters on February 18, 2020, ahead of the launch of the spacecraft in July. Wam
Engineers are pictured as the Hope probe is transferred from Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre to its launch site at the station on Tanegashima Island in Japan. The crew faced travel challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Courtesy: UAE Space Agency and MBRSC
The Hope probe is transferred to the launch site at the space station on Tanegashima Island in Japan. Courtesy: UAE Space Agency and MBRSC
Engineers work on the hope probe ahead of its launch in July 2020. Courtesy: Emirates Mars Mission
Hope is launched into space on board an H-2A rocket from Tanegashima Space Centre in southwestern Japan. Courtesy: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
People wait for the launch of the Hope probe at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai on July 19, 2020. Giuseppe Cacace / AFP
People wait for the launch of the Hope Mars probe at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai on July 19, 2020. Giuseppe Cacace / AFP
The Hope probe is launched into space on July 20, 2020. Giuseppe Cacace / AFP
The Museum of the Future is lit up in red to celebrate the Hope probe's mission to Mars. Antonie Robertson / The National
All eyes are on today's countdown before the UAE's Hope probe reaches Mars' orbit. AP
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, visit the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in February 2020. Wam
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, visits Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre on February 8, 2021 ahead of the Hope probe reaching Mars. Courtesy: Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Twitter
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