Midsummer 2026 begins on July 16: Al-Ajiri Science Center clarifies the most prominent upcoming astronomical phenomena

The Al-Ajiri Scientific Center announced that the middle of the summer season in 2026 will fall on Thursday, July 16, coinciding with the entry into the second lunar mansion, Al-Jawza, which constitutes the fourth stage of the summer mansions in Arab tradition and the fifth in the solar-lunar mansion calendar. Its beginning is associated with what is known as Al-Hana’a. The center clarified that this period lasts 13 days and marks the gradual decline in daylight hours, with a corresponding increase in nighttime hours, after daylight had exceeded 13 hours and 50 minutes.

The center added that the period is characterized by continued high temperatures and the appearance of what is known as “Bahura al-Sayf” (Summer’s Breath), which lasts for approximately eight nights and may be accompanied by extremely hot winds. It noted that the star of the second Al-Jawza is one of the prominent stars of the shoulder of Orion in Arab astronomical heritage.

On the astronomical front, the center stated that July 16 will witness a conjunction of the Moon with the planet Saturn, followed by another conjunction between the Moon and Venus on July 17. These phenomena can be observed in the sky over Kuwait in the evening at around 7:04 p.m. Additionally, July will conclude with a full moon on July 29 in the mansion of Sa’d al-Bal’aa, globally known as the “Deer Moon,” a historical name linked to the season of antler growth for deer in North America.