Mars pairing with Pleiades: highly visible celestial event to sparkle in UAE skies on Wednesday

From nightfall until 1am is the best time to spot the once-in-30-year event

This February 10, 2021 image of Mars taken by the UAE's Hope probe shows Mars. The spacecraft now circles the Red Planet. Courtesy: Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre

An image of Mars taken from the Hubble Space Telescope in 2014. NASA / AP

A full Mars. In this image the massive volcano Olympus Mons is clearly visible upper left of centre, while at centre are the three Tharsis Montes volcanoes. All these volcanoes are believed to be extinct. Mars is often host to white clouds of water ice crystals and experiences seasonal dust storms that can cover the entire planet.

In this handout photograph received from the Indian Space Research Organisation on September 30, 2014, the planet Mars is seen in an image taken by the ISRO Mars Orbiter Mission spacecraft. AFP / ISRO

A unique cosmic event will sparkle in UAE skies on Wednesday.

Mars will make its closest approach to a dazzling star cluster for the first time in 30 years.

The Red Planet will pair up closely with the Pleiades cluster, which is expected to be highly visible to the naked eye during the night.

Mars will not be this close to the cluster of seven stars, also known as the Seven Sisters, or Messier 45, again until 2038.

The planet will be 2.6 degrees south of the Pleiades, while in 1991, it passed 1.7 degrees south of the cluster.

Pleiades is a Greek word commonly used now to label the cluster.

Nasa rover on Mars - in pictures

However, it is known as Al Thurayya in Arabic-speaking countries and has been referenced frequently in Arabic poetry.

The cluster was popular in mythology and was among the first stars mentioned in literature, including Chinese texts dating from 2350 BC and in European references.

In Greek mythology, the Pleiades were seven sisters, Maia, Electra, Alcyone, Taygete, Asterope, Celaeno and Merope.

Tribes in different parts of North America had their own legends. The Kiowa tribe, for example, believed seven maidens were sent to the sky by the "great spirit" to save them from giant bears.

Early evening until 1am is the best time to spot the conjunction, according to Dubai Astronomy Group.

Several other astronomical events will take place this month.

On March 5, Mercury, our solar system's smallest planet, and Jupiter, the largest planet, will form a rare conjunction when they cross paths.

On March 18, the crescent Moon, Mars and the bright star Aldebaran will form a triangle.

February was a busy month for Mars exploration.

The UAE made history on February 9 when the Hope probe entered Martian orbit, making the Emirates the first Arab nation to reach the Red Planet.

On February 18, Nasa's Mars Perseverance rover – the largest and most advanced rover Nasa has sent to another planet – touched down on Mars.