MUSCAT: Even as the country has been reeling under the sweltering heat for the past few weeks, the first day of the astronomical summer season to begin tomorrow, Tuesday.
This is also the longest day of the year!
According to Oman Astronomical Society, the phenomenon of the summer solstice for this year begins on June 21, which is the first day of the astronomical summer season in the Northern Hemisphere.
“The phenomenon begins at 1:13 pm and thus is the longest day and the shortest night of the other days of the year", it said.
At that moment on Tuesday, astronomers say, the sun will be directly above the Tropic of Cancer. That is the farthest north the sun moves in the sky, which is why the days close to the solstice have the most daylight of the year.
Solstice is a unique astronomical event that occurs twice in a year; it happens once in the summers in June and again in winter in December. The December solstice happens around December 21 and on this day, the sun is directly above the Tropic of Capricorn.
The General Assembly of the United Nations, through a resolution adopted on November 2, 2001, acknowledged this day as the International Day of the Celebration of the Solstice.
The solstice occurs when the Earth arrives at the point where the North Pole is at its maximum tilt in relation to the sun, which is why we have more hours of daylight during the Summer Solstice.
However, the meteorologists believe that the summer starts about three to four days before the occurrence of June solstice.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
