Summer time in the UAE. No one ever said it was easy. With temperatures peaking over 50 degrees in some parts of the country, it’s got us asking: when exactly will the cooler temperatures arrive?
Well, luckily, there’s a tell-tale sign – the Suhail Star – which has been used by Arabs for centuries to approximate when the scorching heat would come to an end.
Ibrahim Al Jarwan, a member of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Science, has shared when he believes the Suhail Star will appear in the sky, which is less than a month away.
“There is less than a month left for the star Suhail to rise,” he said in Arabic on Twitter. “It is the star that the Arabs, present and desert, rejoice at its rising, as it is a sign of the beginning of the clearing of the heat, the receding of the intensity of the heat, and the beginning of the change of the atmosphere towards moderation.”
تبقى عن موعد طلوع النجم سهيل اقل عن شهر.
وهو النجم الذي تستبشر بطلوعه العرب حاضرها وباديها، حيث يكون علامة على بدء جلاء القيظ، وانحسار شدة الحرارة، وبداية تغير الجو نحو الاعتدال.يطلع كنجم من الافق الجنوبي الشرقي ابتداءا من فجر 24 اغسطس في وسط الجزيرة العربية.
إبراهيم الجروان pic.twitter.com/wG50YIBzBr
— إبراهيم الجروان (@ibrahimaljarwan) July 24, 2023
The astronomer estimated the star will rise from the south-eastern horizon on August 24, which is just a few weeks away.
What is the Suhail Star?
The Suhail Star is approximately 313 light years away from Earth and is one of the brightest stars in the sky when visible.
Since ancient times it has been used by those in the region to roughly predict when the cooler weather would arrive. In particular, it would be used by farmers for crops, fishing season, grazing and travel.
With temperatures consistently reaching over 40 degrees in the UAE, with some areas reaching over 50 degrees, a sign that the cooler weather is coming is sure to be welcomed with open arms.
