Sunday 17 / November / 2024
Muscat: The Oman Astronomical Society confirmed that the phenomenon of the summer solstice for this year will occur tomorrow, and that day will be the first day of the astronomical summer season in the northern hemisphere. Summer will be about 93 days and 15 hours long.
Mather bint Khamis Al-Wahaibi, a member of the Oman Astronomical Society, said: "Astronomical calculations indicate that the phenomenon of the summer solstice for this year will occur at 6:57 pm MCT. Where the sun rises at 5:21 am , and it mediates the sky at 12:09 pm, it will set at 6:57 pm to include most regions of the northern hemisphere, which includes Europe, Asia, North America and the North Pole."
"The day will continue in the city of Muscat for 13 hours, 35 minutes and 35 seconds, and thus it will be the longest day of the year at night and the shortest during the day in most regions of its southern half, which includes Australia, half of Africa, South America and Antarctica, " Al-Wahaibi said.
She added that the summer solstice is the first day of the summer season for the residents of the northern hemisphere, and it is also the first day of the winter season or the so-called winter solstice for the residents of the southern hemisphere.
Al-Wahaibi explained that the earth has two movements, the first: movement around its axis from west to east approximately once every 24 hours, which results in the succession of day and night, and the second: is movement in its orbit around the sun approximately once every 365.25 days, which results in the succession of the four seasons.
"The reason for the occurrence of the two solstices and the two equinoxes is due to the inclination of the earth’s axis of rotation around the sun by 23.5 degrees, and this also explains the length of the day in summer and its shortness in winter."
"These solstices and equinoxes are not necessarily related to temperatures, because the summer solstice astronomically means that the sun is perpendicular to the Tropic of Cancer, and therefore the temperature is high, but during the season there are heat waves, so these are weather changes that have nothing to do with the astronomical seasons."
Al-Wahaibi explained that this astronomical event is associated with many phenomena that we witness on Earth, including: the absence of noonday shade in the areas located along the Tropic of Cancer (Amerat, Fanja, Wadi Al-Ma’awil, Rustaq, Ibri).
"On this day, the sun rises from the farthest point in the northeast and sets at the farthest point in the northwest, and the number of night hours becomes shorter, and the daytime hours lengthen, then the daylight hours begin to decrease until the hours of night and day are equal, which is what is called the autumnal equinox on September 23 at 10:50 am. " Al-Wahaibi said.
