• Dwarf planet Haumea to briefly hide distant star in rare sky event
• Light from star to dim momentarily across much of the Arab world

Sky observers and astronomers across the region are preparing for a rare astronomical occurrence on Monday evening, as the dwarf planet Haumea is set to cross in front of a faraway star, temporarily blocking its light in what scientists call a stellar occultation.

The UAE’s International Astronomical Center says the event could last up to 119 seconds and forms part of a coordinated international observing campaign involving observatories and research groups worldwide. It is expected to be visible across a wide area of the Arab world.

According to Engineer Mohammed Shawkat Odeh, Director of the Center, the phenomenon will first appear in the eastern part of the region, beginning in Oman and the UAE at 20:16 GMT, then moving to Jordan at 20:17 (23: 17 local time), Egypt at 20:18, and reaching Morocco by 20:20. In some locations along the observation path, the event may last between 80 and 88 seconds.

Haumea is one of the solar system’s recognized dwarf planets, a category of objects smaller than planets but larger than asteroids. The group includes five bodies: Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Makemake, and Haumea.

It shares the distant Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune with Pluto and Makemake, while Ceres is located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and Eris orbits in the far outer solar system.

Haumea stands out scientifically due to its two moons and a faint ring system. During the event, it will obscure a faint star with magnitude 14.7, while Haumea itself shines at magnitude 17.3, causing a noticeable brightness drop of about 2.7 magnitudes.

The phenomenon should be visible in most Arab countries, except Somalia, Djibouti, and the Comoros.