4 days ago
Qatar will witness longest day, shortest night next Saturday: Qatar Calendar House
DOHA: The Qatar Calendar House has announced that the sun will be directly over the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere on Saturday, June 21, at 5.42am Doha time.
Dr Bashir Marzouq, an astronomy expert at the Qatar Calendar House, said: 'Residents of the Northern Hemisphere, including Qatar, will experience the longest day and shortest night of the year, as the summer solstice will occur in the Northern Hemisphere. The opposite will happen for residents of the Southern Hemisphere, as the winter solstice will occur on the same day.'
The summer solstice is an important astronomical phenomenon. The inhabitants of the globe rely on it, along with the other four seasons, to determine climate changes.
Furthermore, on this day, the sun will rise from the farthest point to the northeast of the sky in the State of Qatar, and the length of the shadow at noon (the time of the noon call to prayer) on this day will be the shortest shadow of the year.
Dr Marzouq added: 'The summer solstice phenomenon comes after the vernal equinox that occurred last March, as the sun continued its apparent movement gradually towards the north after being perpendicular to the equator on the day of the vernal equinox. The length of the day gradually increased for residents of the northern hemisphere, as this gradual progression will reach its peak with the longest day and shortest night next Saturday, while the opposite will happen on this day in the southern hemisphere, as they will have the shortest day and the longest night.'
It is worth noting that the four astronomical seasons (winter, spring, summer, and autumn) occur due to the Earth's rotation in its orbit around the sun, and the Earth's axis being tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees relative to its orbit.
As is well known, after the summer solstice, the sun will begin its apparent movement towards the south again. The length of the day will shorten, while the length of the night will increase until day and night are equal on Monday, September 22, 2025.
On this day, the sun will be directly overhead on the equator, marking the date of the autumnal equinox for residents of the Northern Hemisphere.
