Comet to paint UAE sky green tonight; here's how to watch it

Dubai - The comet is a mixture of gases, water and dust.

A comet with a bright green glow will be visible over the UAE skies on Thursday night and early Friday morning.

The Dubai Astronomy Group will be holding a 'stargazing party' for the comet -- named Comet 21P - on the night of October 4 until early morning of October 5.

The CEO of the Dubai Astronomy Group, Hasan Al Hariri, told Khaleej Times: "The comet is a dirty snowball. It's a mixture of gases, water and dust. When it comes near to the sun rays, the heat reaches the surface and the gas escapes and acts as a tail of the comet. There is a dust tail and ion tail with ionized particles which comes from the comet itself. The gas coming out of the comet is energized and they start to emit light. There are two elements which contribute to the glow of the comet - which is a gas called cyanogen and the atomic carbon gasses."

Al Hariri said that the comet has an approximate orbital period of 6.6 years, meaning it takes that much time to orbit once around the sun.

The comet looks like a "fuzzy ball" and to get a better look at the glow, Hariri suggests that residents use binoculars or telescopes.

"It is a low periodic comet. They are roaming around the sun in very short terms, so we can see them every some while. This September, was the nearest approach of the comet towards the Earth. This comet continues to be visible and will continue to be visible. In the month of October, we are anticipating to see the comet before the sunrise. This will be after 3am," he said.

"The comet is very small and barely at the age of visibility. So, with binoculars or telescopes, you can see it. It will look like a fuzzy ball. No greenish colour would be visible that highly. If you're in a quite dark area, you'll be able to make out the green colour. The best way to look at the comet is to take a photo of the comet by opening the shutter of the camera."

Another space rock making headlines across the world is an asteroid shaped eerily like a human skull. Experts have dubbed it as the "death comet", however, is officially known as the asteroid 2015 TB145. It is expected to fly over Earth a few days after Halloween.

The Dubai Astronomy Group's stargazing party will be at Al Qudra on October 4, from 9pm to 4am.

sarwat@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai