Remember ‘My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas’ – the handy memory trick we used in school to remember the names of all the planets in the solar system? Well, next week, Dubai citizens can see four of them. Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will line up and be visible to the naked eye next week.
Can’t trust you’ll remember which ones to look out for? ‘Vibrant Magenta Jacket Sale’ should jog the grey cells. We sadly can’t help you with a mnemonic device for the date, so mark your calendars for January 21-25 and set a reminder for this planetary parade.
Will all four planets be visible in an actual straight line?
The planets will be visible as an arc at separate points in the sky as they move along individual orbits. However, from our vantage point on earth, they seem to appear in a single file.
Where should I look to see this planetary parade?
Update your compass app – the west of the horizon after sunset is the general rule of thumb. Fun fact: these planets are always visible! What’s changing is our perspective. At this time of year, earth’s position is perfectly aligned with these other planets’ orbits to offer an unobstructed view of them all simultaneously. It’s a happy cosmic coincidence.
Is Uranus going to be visible too?
Two other planets might make an appearance on the day – Uranus, the solar system’s coldest planet and Neptune, the bluest planet. But you’ll need state-of-the-art telescopes to catch a glimpse of these gas giants.
The Dubai Astronomy Centre’s Planetary Alignment Viewing Event on January 25 will give you access to computerised telescopes. Set up out in the emptiness of the Al Qudra desert, you’ll be able to see the four planets and enjoy an educational Q&A session.
Tickets are AED 150 per adult and AED 120 per child, book here; from 6pm-10pm