UAE Looks to the Heavens for Respite from Heat, Meteor Showers, Planet Alignment, Supermoon
The Arabian Gulf is in the midst of several cosmic phenomena.
For UAE residents waiting to exhale summer heat from their systems, the answer lies in the stars… literally. A celestial event is about to unfold in 10 days that will enable people across the Arabian Gulf to blow off some steam. The name of the shimmering entity is the sacred Suhail star, the appearance of which marks the beginning of a 40-day transition from peak summer to more moderate temperature.
The prediction that the much-awaited Suhail will show up on the early hours of Saturday, August 24th, 2024, comes from Chairman of the Emirates Astronomical Society – Mr. Ibrahim Al Jarwan. This informed source confirms that the star’s appearance is to signal a noticeable change in UAE’s climate, beginning with the dropping of night-time temperatures. This transitional period called ‘Sufriya’ is to last about 40 days before winter begins to set in.
However, the Sufriya period is characterised by slight, though uneven and unpredictable, shifts in temperature, rains and winds before it stabilises into the ‘Wasm’ or wintry season. Meanwhile, the Indian monsoons will gradually fizzle out, making way for the 'kous' winds, which bring with them brief and occasional drizzles to the Gulf. The presence of Suhail in the Arabian skies marks one of four seasons in the traditional Arabic ‘Durur’ calender.
On this past Monday, another cosmic phenomenon took hold of the Arabian night sky. It was the annual ‘Perseids’ shower which features the dazzling fall of 1,100 meteors. Taking front-row seats to this multi-coloured display of bright shooting stars and fireballs was the Dubai Astronomy Group (DAG), which hosted about 300 guests at the Jebel Jais mountain - situated in UAE’s Ras Al Khaimah emirate.
The spectacle occurs every year as the Earth passes through the rubble of the Swift-Tuttle comet. Then coming up this Thursday at 2 am, is the bright and visible conjunction of planets Mars and Jupiter. And two days later, is the appearance of a big Supermoon which occurs when the lunar body is closest to the Earth. It looks like UAE’s super-illuminated cities at night don’t hold a candle to what their gleaming skies have to offer.
