The Al-Ujairi Scientific Center has announced that the summer season will officially reach its peak on Wednesday, July 16, coinciding with the start of the second Gemini season, which spans 13 days.
In a press release, the center explained that the second Gemini is the fourth mansion of the Arab summer calendar and the fifth in the solar-lunar cycle. Its guiding star is known as “Al-Hana’a”, a bright celestial body recognized since ancient Arab times and linked to the Betelgeuse constellation, reports Al-Rai daily.
The center noted that this seasonal phase signals a gradual decrease in daylight hours, which had previously exceeded 13 hours and 50 minutes, while nighttime hours begin to increase.
Despite the shift, temperatures continue to rise, ushering in a period known as the “Summer Moon”, which lasts for about eight nights and is typically associated with the arrival of the ‘poisonous winds’ — a term used in the region to describe intense, dry summer gusts.
Additionally, the center highlighted a noteworthy astronomical event set to occur on the same day: the conjunction of the moon with Saturn. The moon, aged 21 days, will pass 50.3 degrees north of the ringed planet in a celestial alignment observable to astronomy enthusiasts.
This seasonal transition not only reflects changes in temperature and wind but also carries cultural and agricultural significance in the Arab world, where traditional calendars are still closely observed.
