Moonless August nights offer prime opportunity to see the Milky Way with the naked eye.
Dubai: The Milky Way is set to put on a spectacular celestial show across the Arab world this August, with its glowing band potentially visible to the naked eye from locations away from city lights.
The moonless skies expected over the coming evenings should provide particularly favourable conditions for stargazing, giving observers in dark areas with minimal light pollution a chance to see the galaxy stretching across the night sky.
Majed Abu Zahra, head of the Jeddah Astronomy Society, explained that the hazy band visible across the night sky is the Milky Way seen edge-on—the galaxy that is home to our solar system.
Summer nights offer some of the best opportunities to witness the spectacle, as the night sky faces the densely populated central region of the Milky Way, where vast concentrations of stars, gas and cosmic dust create a brighter band.
No telescope or specialised equipment is required to see it. However, observers will get the clearest view from dark locations far from city lights and other sources of light pollution.
