Al-Ajiri Scientific: Midsummer begins on July 16

The Al-Ajiri Scientific Center announced that the summer season of 2026 will reach its midpoint on Thursday, July 16, coinciding with the entry into Al-Jawza’ al-Thaniya (the second phase of the lunar mansions). This marks the fourth stage of the summer mansions in Arab astronomy and the fifth in the solar and lunar mansion calendar, with its culmination known as “Al-Han’ah.” The center explained that Al-Jawza’ al-Thaniya lasts for 13 days and witnesses a gradual decline in daylight hours, which had previously exceeded 13 hours and 50 minutes, alongside a corresponding gradual increase in nighttime hours. It noted that this period is characterized by high solar temperatures and is interspersed with the “Bahoor al-Sayf” (Summer Winds) phenomenon, which lasts approximately eight nights and is typically accompanied by hot Samum winds. The center clarified that the star of Al-Jawza’ al-Thaniya is one of the most prominent stars in the asterism known as Manbal al-Jawza’, recognized in ancient Arab astronomy.

In the same context, the center mentioned that July 16 will witness a conjunction of the Moon with the planet Saturn, with the Moon passing 50.3 degrees north of Saturn, and the Moon’s age on that night will be 21 days. It added that July 17 will see a conjunction of the Moon with Venus, as the Moon passes 2.1 degrees south of the planet, with the Moon’s age being three days. The phenomenon will be visible in the Kuwaiti sky in the evening at approximately 7:04 p.m. The center further explained that July will conclude with the full moon on July 29 in the mansion “Sa’d al-Bal’,” globally known as the “Deer Moon,” a historical name given by Indigenous tribes of North America, coinciding with the beginning of the growth of new antlers on deer during this time of year.