Hundreds gather to see Quadrantids meteor shower

Dubai: Hundreds of UAE residents camped in Al Qudra desert area outside Dubai city to watch the Quadrantids meteor shower on Saturday.

The Quadrantids occur in December-January each year as the Earth passes a band of cosmic debris, resulting in a meteor shower or streaks across the night sky as the meteors pass through the atmosphere.

On Saturday, Dubai Astronomy Group (DAG) organised for registered members of the public an event to see the shower in Al Qudra, away from the city lights. Around 200 enthusiasts showed up with their camps, cameras and telescopes to catch the celestial show.

DAG had also arranged telescopes, talks and presentations about the phenomena, with people huddling around a bone fire and sipping hot beverages. A “sky decoding” session was led by DAG CEO Hasan Al Hariri, who also shared relevant Arab heritage stories.