SHARJAH: Autumn usually begins in the northern hemisphere of Earth, coinciding with the autumnal equinox, when the sun will be directly over the equator, moving towards the south. This year, it is set to take place on 22nd September, 2024, at 16:44 GST.

Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Board Chairman of the Emirates Astronomical Society and a member of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences, stated that following the autumnal equinox, day and night will be of equal length in the UAE, with night gradually becoming longer thereafter at the expense of daylight hours. Meanwhile, the polar regions in the north will begin to experience continuous nights, which will persist until spring.

He added that the early autumn evenings will showcase several notable star constellations, including the ‘Big Dipper’, and the 'Great Square of Pegasus', referred to by Arabs as the 'Aquarius Square', will begin to appear in the eastern sky. During autumn, Earth will witness several prominent meteor showers visible to the naked eye under clear skies. The peak of the following meteor showers will occur in autumn: Orionids from 20th to 22nd October, Leonids from 16th to 18th November, and Geminids from 13th to 15th December.

Al Jarwan noted that temperatures will begin to fall below 25°C at night and below 40°C during the day from the date of the autumnal equinox, with the weather gradually becoming milder. Night-time cooling will start when minimum temperatures drop below 20°C at night, from mid-October to mid-April, while daytime cooling will begin when maximum temperatures fall below 30°C during the day, from mid-November to mid-March.

The winter rainy season will run from early November to the end of March, with around 22 percent of the total annual rainfall occurring during autumn, mainly in its latter half. Humidity will remain high, leading to the formation of fog and dew in the mornings, particularly from mid-September to mid-November. During this season, autumn fruits such as pomegranates, citrus fruits, and olives are in abundance. The weather is also ideal for planting, farming, transplanting seedlings, and pruning trees, with most winter vegetables being sown during this time.