Astronomical Start of Summer Next Saturday - Jordan News
Astronomical Start of Summer Next Saturday The head of the Jordanian Astronomical Society, Dr. Ammar Al-Sakaji, confirmed that the summer solstice for this year will occur at 5:42 a.m. on the upcoming Saturday, according to the local time of the Kingdom. He noted that this moment marks the astronomical beginning of summer in Jordan and in the Northern Hemisphere. اضافة اعلان In a statement made on Thursday, he explained that the summer season will last for 93 days, 15 hours, and 37 minutes, ending with the autumnal equinox on September 22. On the day of the solstice, Jordan will experience the longest day and the shortest night of the year, as the time between sunrise and sunset reaches its maximum. This phenomenon is observed in most countries located north of the equator, while the Southern Hemisphere experiences its shortest day of the year concurrently with the winter solstice. He pointed out that the summer solstice occurs when the sun reaches its maximum northern declination in its apparent path around the Earth — that is, when it is at its highest point in the sky. During this time, Earth's axis is tilted most directly toward the sun in the Northern Hemisphere, causing the sun's rays to be directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer. He added that after this day, the sun will begin to shift apparently southward in its annual journey, passing through the autumnal equinox in September before continuing to its southernmost point during the winter solstice on December 21. Dr. Al-Sakaji also noted that this year's summer solstice coincides with a rare astronomical event known as the "Major Lunar Standstill" (Lunistice), a cycle that occurs once every 18.6 years. During this cycle, the moon reaches its extreme northern or southern declination in its apparent orbit around Earth. He explained that this cycle causes a noticeable change in the moon's path across the sky, as it rises and sets from points far from the usual east and west, tilting toward the north or south. This deviates from the moon's typical movement pattern. He also pointed out that the moon appears lower in the sky during some of its phases, especially during the full moon, as observed during the June 11 full moon, when the moon appeared clearly tilted toward the southern horizon with a noticeably lower orbital height. This shift in the moon's path contrasts with the sun's position during the summer solstice, when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, rising from the far northeast and setting in the far northwest. Dr. Al-Sakaji considered this contrast between the movements of the sun and the moon a rare opportunity for astronomical observation, emphasizing that ancient civilizations used such phenomena in the design of their temples and monuments, and relied on them for agricultural timing and calendar systems, as these astronomical moments served as highly significant reference points. He noted that the Jordanian Astronomical Society monitors these events annually by tracking sunrise and sunset times, measuring astronomical angles related to the sun's movement, and observing its apparent path from various locations in Jordan for scientific and documentation purposes, in order to enhance public awareness of astronomy.
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- Jordan News
Astronomical Start of Summer Next Saturday - Jordan News
Astronomical Start of Summer Next Saturday The head of the Jordanian Astronomical Society, Dr. Ammar Al-Sakaji, confirmed that the summer solstice for this year will occur at 5:42 a.m. on the upcoming Saturday, according to the local time of the Kingdom. He noted that this moment marks the astronomical beginning of summer in Jordan and in the Northern Hemisphere. اضافة اعلان In a statement made on Thursday, he explained that the summer season will last for 93 days, 15 hours, and 37 minutes, ending with the autumnal equinox on September 22. On the day of the solstice, Jordan will experience the longest day and the shortest night of the year, as the time between sunrise and sunset reaches its maximum. This phenomenon is observed in most countries located north of the equator, while the Southern Hemisphere experiences its shortest day of the year concurrently with the winter solstice. He pointed out that the summer solstice occurs when the sun reaches its maximum northern declination in its apparent path around the Earth — that is, when it is at its highest point in the sky. During this time, Earth's axis is tilted most directly toward the sun in the Northern Hemisphere, causing the sun's rays to be directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer. He added that after this day, the sun will begin to shift apparently southward in its annual journey, passing through the autumnal equinox in September before continuing to its southernmost point during the winter solstice on December 21. Dr. Al-Sakaji also noted that this year's summer solstice coincides with a rare astronomical event known as the "Major Lunar Standstill" (Lunistice), a cycle that occurs once every 18.6 years. During this cycle, the moon reaches its extreme northern or southern declination in its apparent orbit around Earth. He explained that this cycle causes a noticeable change in the moon's path across the sky, as it rises and sets from points far from the usual east and west, tilting toward the north or south. This deviates from the moon's typical movement pattern. He also pointed out that the moon appears lower in the sky during some of its phases, especially during the full moon, as observed during the June 11 full moon, when the moon appeared clearly tilted toward the southern horizon with a noticeably lower orbital height. This shift in the moon's path contrasts with the sun's position during the summer solstice, when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, rising from the far northeast and setting in the far northwest. Dr. Al-Sakaji considered this contrast between the movements of the sun and the moon a rare opportunity for astronomical observation, emphasizing that ancient civilizations used such phenomena in the design of their temples and monuments, and relied on them for agricultural timing and calendar systems, as these astronomical moments served as highly significant reference points. He noted that the Jordanian Astronomical Society monitors these events annually by tracking sunrise and sunset times, measuring astronomical angles related to the sun's movement, and observing its apparent path from various locations in Jordan for scientific and documentation purposes, in order to enhance public awareness of astronomy. Petra News Agency
Jordan Times
08-05-2025
- Jordan Times
Jordan to observe rare ‘Mini-Apogee' full moon on Monday
By JT - May 08,2025 - Last updated at May 08,2025 The Mini-Apogee occurs when the full moon coincides with its position near apogee, the farthest point in its elliptical orbit around Earth (JT file) AMMAN — The Jordanian Astronomical Society on Thursday said that Jordan and other countries will witness a distinctive astronomical event on Monday evening: the May full moon, also called the "mini-apogee moon." The moon will reach its peak illumination at precisely 8:00pm Jordan time and is expected to appear red or orange during moonrise due to its low position on the horizon and the effect of atmospheric scattering, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. President of the Jordanian Astronomical Society Ammar Sakaji said that the full moon will rise from the east-southeast approximately half an hour before reaching full phase. The phenomenon occurs when the full moon coincides with its position near apogee the farthest point in its elliptical orbit around Earth making it appear about 6 per cent smaller than a typical full moon, Sakaji noted. Its apparent diameter will be 29.48 arc minutes, compared to the 33.5 arc minutes of a supermoon near perigee, he added. Sakaji noted that at the moment of fullness, the moon will be about 405,278 kilometres from Earth, having passed its apogee roughly 40 hours earlier, at 3:49am on Sunday. He added that in various cultures, this full moon is referred to by symbolic names such as the "Flower Moon," "Bud Moon," "Agricultural Moon," and "Egg-Laying Moon," all of which evoke themes of renewal and growth typical of the spring season. Sakaji underscored the value of such celestial events in enhancing humanity's connection to the cosmos and encouraged astronomy enthusiasts to prepare cameras and telescopes to observe and document the occasion. The society also urged photographers, especially astrophotographers, to capture images of the moon rising behind iconic Jordanian landmarks, including mosques, churches, archaeological sites, mountains, and deserts.
Jordan News
04-05-2025
- Jordan News
Al-Momani: Specialized and Credible Scientific Media is the First Line of Defense Against Misinformation - Jordan News
Minister of Government Communications and Government Spokesperson Dr. Mohammad Al-Momani emphasized that specialized, credible scientific media is the first line of defense against fake and misleading information. He stated that when scientific understanding tools and communication channels with research centers are available, media becomes more capable of creating an advanced community awareness. اضافة اعلان During his speech at the second scientific conference titled "Scientific Journalism: Between Reality and Leading Change," organized by the Faculty of Media at the Middle East University, Al-Momani pointed out that despite the transformative effects of artificial intelligence on the media landscape and the tools it offers for content development, it poses precise challenges regarding content reliability, publishing standards, and adherence to journalistic ethics and codes of conduct. Al-Momani stressed that His Majesty King Abdullah II's significant focus on the comprehensive modernization vision, with its three pillars—political, economic, and administrative—requires enhancing the efforts of all sectors, especially the media, to keep up with the demands of the digital transformation era. The minister explained that the conference represents an important milestone in the development of media, as it plays a crucial role in knowledge production, analysis, and dissemination to the community in a scientific and responsible manner. It also opens the door for serious discussions on the roles of media in an era where scientific and technological transformations are accelerating. He added that the importance of specialized scientific journalism increases in the face of sectoral challenges such as health, environmental, and economic issues. Today, specialized and trained journalists are expected to understand, analyze, and explain rather than simply convey information. He called for the establishment of training platforms that enable students to engage with digital tools consciously and skillfully and to enhance partnerships between journalists, researchers, and technology specialists. Al-Momani also affirmed the Ministry of Government Communication's interest in the outcomes and recommendations of the conference, which aim to support an environment of media transparency, credibility, and specialization in line with the country's modernization and development vision. Dr. Salameh Al-Mohadin, President of Middle East University, noted that the conference this year focuses on addressing the key challenges faced by scientific journalism, building on the success of the first conference last year, which addressed topics such as obesity in the media and shaping public awareness around climate change. She highlighted the lack of specialization and scientific knowledge among some journalists, which leads to oversimplification or distortion of scientific information, and the absence of specialized training programs in scientific journalism in many Arab media institutions. She also pointed out the scarcity of local scientific content, with scientific journalism often relying on foreign sources, alongside the lack of published and accessible local scientific research in Arabic. Al-Mohadin added that scientific journalism is often not prioritized in many Arab media outlets and is sometimes constrained by political or religious factors, leading to the omission or restriction of coverage on sensitive topics such as reproductive health or genetic research. The lack of general scientific culture also affects the public's engagement with scientific journalism, reducing the demand for such content. Dr. Ramzi Abu-Hassira, Dean of the Faculty of Media at Middle East University, explained that this conference follows up on the recommendations from the first scientific journalism conference and continues the academic and research path the faculty adopted last year. It aims to establish a solid interactive dialogue platform, bringing together scholars, researchers, journalists, and specialists from Jordan, Palestine, Algeria, the UAE, Egypt, and Iraq to bridge the gap between the community and scientific knowledge producers. The conference also aims to highlight the challenges facing scientific journalism amid rapidly advancing technology and the growing role of artificial intelligence, emphasizing transparency and credibility in the dissemination of scientific knowledge. The goal is to provide methodological recommendations that contribute to improving the reality of scientific journalism both nationally and regionally.
