Jordanian astronomer Imad Majid, a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a member of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences, said the appearance of Canopus (Suhail) in the pre-dawn sky of the Arabian Peninsula on Wednesday signals the approaching end of the summer heat and the possibility of September rainfall.
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Majid said Canopus will become visible before sunrise in Jordan and the Levant on September 9, adding that its appearance is traditionally regarded as an indicator of seasonal change and the gradual easing of summer temperatures.
In a press statement, Majid explained that the appearance of Canopus around August 23 each year was historically used as a seasonal marker before modern astronomical calculations became the standard method for determining the onset of seasons and forecasting rainfall.
He said the rising of Canopus marks the gradual weakening of the summer heat, with nighttime temperatures beginning to moderate. According to traditional seasonal calculations, the Wasm period begins 52 days later. Rainfall during this period is traditionally considered beneficial to both land and sea and is associated with the growth of plants that appear at this time of year, including truffles.
Majid explained that the traditional cycle associated with Canopus is divided into four periods, each lasting 13 days:
Al-Tarfa: The first period, during which nights become milder while daytime temperatures remain high.
Al-Jabha: The second period and the first of the traditional autumn stars, when nights become cooler and daytime weather improves.
Al-Zira: The third period, during which nighttime temperatures drop further.
Al-Sarfa: The final period, traditionally associated with the departure of the summer heat.
Majid also said that NASA uses Canopus as a navigational reference for spacecraft traveling beyond the boundaries of the solar system and into interstellar space. He noted, however, that modern astronomy has also assigned the name “Suhail” to a faint star that is different from the Canopus known historically to Arab astronomers.
The star known to Arabs as Suhail al-Yamani has historically been given several names, including Al-Wazn, Wasim, Lami’, Al-Nabil, and Al-Majid. It appears alone in the southern sky, shining with a white color tinged with red.
