Earlier this year, residents of Dubai spotted an unusual phenomenon. There appeared to be two moons in the night sky over Dubai.
Images and videos of the two celestial bodies went viral leaving people all over the world stunned. Social media users weighed in on what they thought it might be: there were those who believed it to be the wayward Planet X or Nibiru, while some called it an online hoax.
The answer is, neither. The two moon-like objects in the sky were actually projections of Phobos and Deimos, the two moons on Mars.
The projections were created using super-realistic sky mapping technology on a 40-meter holo screen held up by two 70-meter long cranes by UAE’s Media Office.
The idea behind the stunt was to replicate what would be seen from the surface of Mars for people on Earth, as UAE’s first probe reached the red planet.
After creating a sufficient amount of buzz, the government revealed the truth behind the mysterious phenomenon in an announcement and invited everyone to tune into the livestream to watch the UAE arrive on Mars.
Needless to say, the gimmick was a success as it managed to catch people’s attention all over the world. With the Hope Probe, the UAE became the fifth country to reach the red planet, entering an elite club of space-faring countries.
