A photographer prepares to take pictures of the annual Perseid meteor shower in the village of Crissolo, near Cuneo, in the Monviso Alps region of northern Italy, on August 13, 2015. The Perseid meteor shower occurs every year when the Earth passes through the cloud of debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. AFP PHOTO / MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP PHOTO / MARCO BERTORELLO
A photographer prepares to take pictures of the annual Perseid meteor shower in the village of Crissolo, near Cuneo, in the Monviso Alps region of northern Italy, on August 13, 2015. The Perseid meteoShow more

Perseid meteor shower to light up UAE desert skies this weekend



Stargazers will head to the desert to watch the Perseid meteor shower light up the skies this weekend.

Those keen to watch the meteors fall to earth can head to Mushrif Park on Friday, where the Dubai Astronomy Group will host an workshop and meteor viewing at Al Thuraya Astronomy Centre from 8pm to 10pm.

It will include a talk on the Perseids by the group’s director, Hasan Al Hariri, and advice on how to photograph the night sky. Visitors will be able to use telescopes for gazing at Saturn, globular clusters and nebula.

“We will place telescopes in the park and have a talk on why and how it’s happening,” said a spokesperson on behalf of the group. “Last year people even saw fireballs on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road in Dubai.”

On Saturday, astronomers will head to an undisclosed location in the desert for the height of the meteor show on Saturday, August 12. Astronomers will meet up at 8.30pm and stay in the desert until the shower peaks during the early hours of Sunday morning.

Attendance at Friday is mandatory for participant at the Saturday event.

The Perseid meteor shower occurs every August as the earth moves through debris left by the biggest object known to pass near the earth, Comet Swift-Tuttle. It’s believed we could have another near miss with Swift-Tuttle again in the year 3044.

Meteoroids enter the atmosphere at about 60 kilometres per second. As they enter, they heat to 1,650 degrees Celcius, hot enough to burn up before our eyes into what we call shooting stars.

This year’s shower is expect to average 50 to 100 meteors per hour. A three-quarter moon will make it a tricker to catch the full show this year.

Nasa has issued a statement debunking rumours that this year's shower will be the brightest in the history of mankind. That honour, writes Bill Cooke on the Nasa blog, would probably go to the Leonids shower of 1833, when there were 20 to 30 meters every second.

Cooke quotes a witness from South Carolina recorded in the 1889 first volume of the Handbook of Descriptive and Practical Astronomy:

“Upwards of 100 lay prostrate on the ground…with their hands raised, imploring God to save the world and them. The scene was truly awful; for never did rain fall much thicker than the meteors fell towards the Earth; east, west, north and south, it was the same.”

Still, writes Cooke, it’s worth heading out.

Saturday’s event is Dh100, with snacks and drinks provided. Registration is required.

Friday’s event is free.

The forecast is for clear skies.

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Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes. 
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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Around 40,000 Russians live in the UAE

The number of Russian tourists travelling to the UAE will increase to 12 percent to reach 1.6 million in 2023

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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.

• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.

• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.

2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.

• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases -  but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.

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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
 
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  • Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
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  • Grade 6 = just above a grade B
  • Grade 5 = between grades B and C
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