Morning Fog Obscures Suhail Star as Traditional Season Begins Across UAE
Dawn skies across Abu Dhabi and the wider emirates officially marked the arrival of the traditional Suhail season on Monday, August 24, 2026. For generations across the Arabian Peninsula, this date signals the start of summer’s peak heat gradually easing. However, anyone stepping outside 40 minutes before sunrise to catch sight of the famous star has found only heavy low-lying humidity and dense fog banks blocking the south-eastern horizon.
Early Morning Fog Keeps Canopus Hidden While Farm and Coastal Routines Shift
Scientifically named Canopus, or Alpha Carinae, the star sits roughly 310 light-years from Earth, meaning the light obscured by current morning weather left its source over three centuries ago. Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Emirates Astronomy Society and member of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences, confirmed that while temperatures traditionally begin their subtle downward drift after August 20, high daytime heat and muggy morning mist will remain regular fixtures through the end of September. The star, the second-brightest in the night sky after Sirius, reappears every late August after vanishing below the south-western horizon for about three and a half months in early May.
Despite the star remaining hidden from the naked eye, local agricultural and coastal patterns are already adjusting to the seasonal turn. Dawn ground and water temperatures are beginning to feel cooler, soil watered the night before now retains its moisture until morning, and camels are starting to require less drinking water. The period marks the start of the first 10 days of Al Safri within the traditional Al Drour calendar system, prompting livestock owners to trim sheep hooves and farmers to begin preparing their fields for upcoming planting.
Along the coast and out in open country, natural indicators are following suit as sea temperatures start to decline. Fish are beginning their move closer to shore, samr trees are starting to green on their southern sides, and seabirds like the sallal bird have begun arriving in the region.
The star will remain low on the south-eastern horizon before dawn each morning, becoming easier to spot as morning fog lifts over the coming weeks.
