Milky Way to light up Arab skies in spectacular August display

Dubai: The Milky Way is set to provide a spectacular celestial display across the Arab world this August, with its luminous band visible to the naked eye from areas away from city lights.

Moonless skies over the coming evenings are expected to create particularly favourable viewing conditions, allowing stargazers in dark locations with minimal light pollution to see the galaxy stretching across the night sky.

Majed Abu Zahra, head of the Jeddah Astronomy Society, said the hazy band seen overhead is an edge-on view of the Milky Way, the galaxy that contains our solar system.

Summer nights provide some of the best opportunities to observe the spectacle, as the view is directed towards the Milky Way’s densely packed central region, rich in stars, gas and cosmic dust.

Observers will not need telescopes or other specialist equipment, although darker locations away from urban lighting will offer the clearest views.