At dawn today, the Saudi sky witnessed the conjunction of the Pleiades star cluster and the moon, an astronomical phenomenon known in Arab folklore as the “25th Quran.”
This phenomenon was one of the time indicators used by the ancient Arabs to determine the calendar and tell the seasons, marking the beginning of the second month of summer and the associated rise in temperature.
Muhammad Enad Al-Hajmi, a member of the Astronomy Club, explained that Quranic Chapter 25 coincides with the entry into the Gemini status and is considered by desert people to be a heat index indicating the period when the summer heat intensifies, the blowing of hot winds (toxins) increases, the humidity in coastal areas begins to rise, and sea storms become active.
He added that this period spans about 27 days and farmers are keen to increase irrigation and crop watering rates to cope with rising temperatures and maintain crop growth, and are paying special attention during this period.
He pointed out that the conjunction of the Pleiades and the moon is one of the astronomical phenomena that has attracted the attention of Arabs since ancient times, who relied on it to determine seasonal and weather fluctuations and track the beginning of seasons within a precise calendar system based on the movement of stars and the phases of the moon. This phenomenon continues to attract the attention of people interested in astronomy and folklore as a natural indicator of the arrival of a new climatic phase.
This morning, the skies of Saudi Arabia witnessed the conjunction of the Pleiades star cluster and the moon, an astronomical phenomenon known in Arab folklore as “Chapter 25 of the Quran.”
This phenomenon is considered one of the temporal signs that the ancient Arabs relied on to know the calendar and seasons, marking the beginning of the second month of summer and the associated rise in temperature.
Mohamed Anad Al-Hajmi, a member of the Astronomy Club, explained that Quranic Chapter 25 coincides with the entry into the Gemini period, which is seen by Bedouin people as a sign of a heat wave. Heat waves are periods when the summer heat intensifies, hot winds (simums) become more frequent, humidity begins to rise in coastal areas, and ocean storms become more active.
He added that this period lasts about 27 days and that farmers are paying special attention during this period as they strive to increase crop irrigation rates to cope with rising temperatures and maintain crop growth.
He pointed out that the conjunction of the Pleiades and the moon is one of the astronomical phenomena that has attracted the attention of Arabs since ancient times, and that Arabs relied on it to determine seasonal and weather fluctuations and to track the beginning of seasons, in a precise calendar system based on the movements of the stars and the phases of the moon. This phenomenon continues to interest those interested in astronomy and folklore, as it acts as a natural indicator of the beginning of a new climatic phase.
