المملكة: A waning crescent, Saturn and Mars draw a “celestial triangle” before dawn on Thursday
Clarify President of the Astronomical Society in Jeddah Engineer Majed Abu Zahra said that the skies of Saudi Arabia and the Arab world will witness before sunrise on Thursday, May 14, 2026 A distinctive astronomical phenomenon represented by the arrangement of the waning crescent within a “celestial triangle” with the planets Saturn and Mars above the eastern horizon, in a scene that can be observed with the naked eye from locations far from light pollution.
He indicated that the moon will appear at dawn on Thursday with little illumination, which provides an opportunity to observe the phenomenon of “Earth light,” which is the dim illumination of the unlit part of the moon’s disk as a result of the reflection of sunlight from the Earth.
The appearance of Saturn
He will also appear The planet Saturnwith its golden-yellowish color at the top of the celestial triangle, while the planet Mars, with its reddish-orange shine, appears low near the eastern horizon.
He pointed out that the best time for observing begins about 45 minutes to an hour before sunrise, when the celestial bodies are still relatively high above the eastern horizon before they gradually fade in the dawn light. He added that using binoculars helps highlight the details of the thin crescent and the phenomenon of “Earth Light” more clearly, especially in open locations with the eastern horizon free of obstacles.
Practical Application
Abu Zahra explained that monitoring these phenomena depends on calculating the height of objects above the local horizon, in addition to the solar elevation to determine the best time for viewing, pointing out that this type of viewing represents a practical application of the apparent daily movement of celestial bodies resulting from rotation. Earth.
He added that the phenomenon also highlights the color differences between the planets and their apparent brightness, as Saturn appears in a calm golden color as a result of sunlight reflecting off its cloud layers, while Mars tends to have a reddish-orange color due to iron oxides spread on its surface.
Correcting astronomical concepts
Abu Zahra stressed that monitoring such phenomena comes within the efforts aimed at enhancing scientific awareness and correcting inaccurate astronomical concepts, In addition to encouraging those interested to document and photograph the phenomenon, he pointed out that it represents a unique opportunity for astrophotography enthusiasts to capture a scene that brings together the crescent moon and the two planets within one frame using wide lenses, especially from sites with an open eastern horizon.
He concluded by pointing out that following astronomical phenomena contributes to linking society, especially the “Artemis generation”, with modern space exploration programs, and enhances the passion for astronomy and understanding the movement of celestial bodies in a deeper way.
- For more: Follow Khaleejion 24 Arabic, Khaleejion 24 English, Khaleejion 24 Live, and for social media follow us on Facebook and Twitter
