Jordanian Astronomical Society | Next Thursday is the summer solstice and the astronomical beginning of summer

Weather of Arabia - The President of the Jordanian Astronomical Society, Dr. Ammar Al-Sakkji, said that the moment of the summer solstice occurs on the evening of Thursday, June 20, 2024, at 11:50 according to Jordanian time , and this moment is the beginning of the summer season astronomically, which extends about 93 days, 15 hours and 52 minutes , and daytime. Thursday is approximately the longest day of the year in Jordan, in the northern part of the Earth, and the shortest in the southern part of the Earth. The summer solstice occurs when the sun in its apparent path reaches its maximum altitude to the north, and the Earth’s axis of rotation becomes as close as possible to the sun in the northern part of the Earth. The sun is above the Tropic of Cancer.

The longest day of the year

The longest day means the longest period of sunlight hours from sunrise to sunset. Solar radiation on this day in Jordan is approximately 7.986 kilowatt hours per square metre. The length of the day in Jordan is approximately fourteen and a quarter hours.

The sun rises and sets in the far north on the day of the summer solstice, and the sun is at its highest elevation in the sky towards the north, especially at midday at 12:37 noon, with an elevation angle of 81 degrees and a zenith angle of 180 degrees, according to the time and coordinates of Jordan .

The effect of the summer solstice on solar systems

On the level horizon, the sun rises on Thursday morning at 5:30, and sets at 7:45 p.m., and the stages before sunrise begin with the rise of the first solar light, which is dispersed in the atmosphere, which is called “astronomical twilight” at 3:50 a.m., then illuminations begin. The atmosphere begins to appear where the Earth is distinguished from the sky with clear features, which is called “marine twilight” at 4:27 AM, then the Earth’s features begin to appear and are easy to distinguish, which is called “civil twilight” at 5:02 AM, and the distance between the Earth and the sun is 152.009 million kilometers, or eight light minutes and twenty-seven seconds, and the amount of solar radiation is the highest, and this is positive for solar systems that produce electrical energy, and solar heater systems, and productivity on this day is the maximum possible .

The dates of the autumn equinox and the winter solstice are astronomical

After this solstice, the sun will begin to move gradually in its apparent orbit southward in our sky until it reaches the moment of the autumn equinox at 3:43 PM on September 22, 2024, and will continue to do so until its lowest altitude at the moment of the winter solstice at 12:20 PM on December 21, 2024, according to Jordan time.

The sun is in the sign of Taurus, and as it is traditionally known, the seasons of the year are determined astronomically by the spring equinox, the autumn equinox, and the summer and winter solstices, and they are linked to the rotational movements of the Earth, and the inclination of its axis of rotation around the sun, and not the distance between the Earth and the sun in the Earth’s elliptical orbit around the sun .

Summer stars

On summer nights, a distinctive star formation in the shape of a triangle can be seen called the “Summer Triangle,” which is made up of three stars in the sky: Cygnus’ tail (star) in the constellation Cygnus, the eagle in the constellation Lyre, and the flying eagle in the constellation Vulture . And also the star Samak, which is the brightest star in the constellation Al-Awaq, and the star Al-Ayyuk, which is a star system found in the constellation Auriga. At the end of summer, the star Suhail appears, the second brightest star in the sky after Sirius and one of the brightest stars in the constellation Al-Qaeda, in addition to the star Aldebaran, and the star Al-Haqqa. Antares, the arm star, the twinkle star, the twitch and other thousands of stars, constellations and planets that will adorn the Jordanian sky on beautiful summer nights, which the Jordanian Astronomical Society will monitor from different places in Jordan, as for the day of the summer solstice, and every year. The association measures the time of sunrise and sunset, as well as angles and the length of the day for scientific and documentary purposes from several places in Jordan .

See also:

Summer solstice...what is it? Why is it the longest day of the year?

What is the summer solstice and when does it occur?