Muscat: The Autumnal Equinox that the Sultanate of Oman witnessing on Wednesday will let heat to subside while bringing in cooler temperatures in the coming days, according to stargazers and astrophysicists at the Astronomical Affairs Department.
The autumnal equinox occured at 04.05 am in Muscat, marks the official beginning of Astronomical autumn in the Northern Hemisphere when the sun appears to cross the celestial equator moving southward.
Abdul Wahab al Busaidi, board member of the Oman Astronomical Society (OAS) and a passionate stargazer, opines that this celestial event signals the start of autumn for countries north of the equator while simultaneously marking the arrival of astronomical spring in the Southern Hemisphere.
“September 23 marks the official start of astronomical autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and it is known for three of its practical reasons,” he said adding that the equinox also represents for gardeners, farmers, and foragers in some countries, the completion of the second harvest. The agricultural communities have historically been fond of the date to celebrate the earth’s bounty before the arrival of winter.”
The day and night become almost equal as the Sun crosses the equator and its rays fall perpendicular to it. The Sun will also rise exactly due east and set exactly due west - a natural compass.
Secondly, because the sun's angle decreases, the intensity of solar energy received in the northern hemisphere starts to gradually decline and the heat will finally starts to drop. For Oman, this is the start of a 90-day cooling trend toward the Winter Solstice on December 21. After this, nights will get longer every day until December.
According to Al Busaidi, Autumnal Equinox is a seasonal marker as it is one of the 4 key astronomical milestones of the year, along with the spring equinox and the two solstices. At the poles it's dramatic - the North Pole starts 6 months of night and the South Pole starts 6 months of day. 7437
“However, it doesn't mean instant cold, but it marks the astronomical turning point and from now on, days will gradually get shorter and temperatures will slowly move toward the pleasant winter season,” Al Busaidi adds.
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