UAE summer heat to gradually ease from August 24

There’s a little sign that the UAE summer heat will soon start to ease. Suhail, one of the brightest stars in the night sky, returns on August 24, marking the gradual shift towards milder weather. According to Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Emirates Astronomy Society and a member of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences, temperatures typically begin to drop gradually after August 20. That doesn’t mean the summer heat disappears overnight. Hot weather is expected to continue through September, with humidity still high and morning fog becoming more common. Known scientifically as Canopus, Suhail is the second-brightest star in the night sky after Sirius. It appears in the south-eastern sky before dawn from August 24. If you’re up early, look towards the south-east around 40 minutes before sunrise, when the star can be spotted close to the horizon. Its return follows an absence of around three and a half months, after it disappeared below the south-western horizon in early May. Plans unveiled for a Dubai Airport Express Line between DXB and and DWC For centuries, Suhail has been used across the Arabian Peninsula as a natural seasonal marker. Its arrival traditionally signals the beginning of Al Safriya, one of the first milder periods of the year. The change is also linked to everyday life. Farmers traditionally begin preparing for the next agricultural season, while fish move closer to the coast as sea temperatures gradually fall. The period is also associated with the expectation of more beneficial rainfall. There’s another reason to look up. Canopus sits around 310 light-years from Earth, meaning the light we see today began its journey roughly 310 years ago. So, while Suhail signals a change in the UAE’s seasons, the star itself is giving us a glimpse of the distant past.