Muscat– The Sultanate of Oman will experience the summer solstice on Sunday, June 21, marking the official start of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere. The season will continue for approximately 93 days, 15 hours, and 40 minutes.
According to Abdulaziz bin Saud Al-Naabi, Vice Chairman of the Community Outreach Committee at the Omani Society for Astronomy and Space, astronomical calculations indicate that the summer solstice will occur at 12:24 p.m. Oman time.
On the day of the solstice, the sun will rise in Muscat at 5:20 a.m., reach its highest point in the sky at 12:08 p.m., and set at 6:56 p.m. The day will last 13 hours, 35 minutes and 33 seconds, making it the longest day of the year and producing the shortest night across most regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Al-Naabi explained that the phenomenon occurs because the Earth’s axis is tilted by about 23.5 degrees as it revolves around the sun. He emphasized that the solstice is not related to the Earth’s distance from the sun and that temperatures are influenced primarily by climatic and atmospheric conditions.
The summer solstice also coincides with the astronomical beginning of the Khareef season in Dhofar Governorate. The seasonal weather pattern affects the governorate’s coastal areas from Dhalkut in the west to Mirbat in the east, driven by monsoon winds and cloud formations originating from the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Among the other astronomical features associated with the solstice is the sun’s direct overhead position along the Tropic of Cancer, causing objects to cast virtually no shadow at noon in locations situated on the latitude line. The sun also rises from its farthest northeastern point and sets at its farthest northwestern point on the horizon.
Following the summer solstice, daylight hours in the Northern Hemisphere will gradually begin to decrease until the autumnal equinox, which is expected to occur on September 23.
The annual event is one of the most significant milestones in the astronomical calendar, signaling the transition into summer while highlighting the Earth’s relationship with the sun and the changing patterns of daylight throughout the year.
