The Astronomical Society in Jeddah stated that the sun is currently experiencing a state of activity that has not occurred in more than 20 years, specifically since 2002, when the number of sunspots was as high as it is now.
The association said in a post on its Facebook page that the average number of sunspots for the month of June 2023 was 163, according to the Data Analysis Center of the Royal Observatory of Solar Effects in Belgium, pointing out that this outperforms all previous months a month ago. September 2022.
She indicated that it was not expected that the 25th solar cycle would be so strong, explaining that when it began in December 2019, it was expected that it would be a weak cycle similar to the previous solar cycle 24, and that it would be one of the weakest solar cycles in a century.
The Jeddah astronomer pointed out that instead, solar cycle 25 has surpassed solar cycle 24, indicating that it may be on its way to rival some of the most powerful solar cycles in the twentieth century.
The last time sunspot numbers were this high, the Sun was about to unleash the Great Halloween Storms in 2003, which included the most powerful X-ray solar flare ever recorded (X45).
The Astronomical Society in Jeddah added that at that time the aurora was seen in the far south, noting that the coronal mass emission from the glow was so strong that it was detected by the Voyager probe at the edge of the solar system.
And she attached her post to a picture, which was captured through invisible light by the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory, where the coronal rings appear, which are arcs extending from the sun where the plasma moves along the magnetic field lines, pointing out that the bright areas are the places where the field is magnetic near the surface strongly.
Kuwait seeks to become the largest producer in OPEC with a massive expansion of production
Kuwait aims to increase its oil production capacity from 2.7 million to 3.15 million barrels per day within four years.
Kuwait seeks to become the largest producer in OPEC with a massive expansion of production
The Kuwaiti government said on Monday that Kuwait, one of the largest OPEC producers, plans to increase its crude oil production capacity to 3.15 million barrels per day within four years from 2.7 million barrels per day now.
Kuwait’s plan to increase its production of oil and natural gas
Kuwait also plans to increase its natural gas production by 79% over the next four years, according to government plans reported by The National newspaper.
Kuwait is currently the fifth largest producer in OPEC after Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Iran, according to secondary sources in OPEC’s latest monthly oil market report released last week.
In May and June, Kuwait pumped 2.55 million barrels per day of crude oil, down from 2.65 million barrels per day in April, as the country is among several OPEC+ producers to announce additional production cuts between May and December 2023.
Kuwait pledged to reduce its production
As part of these cuts totaling $1.66 million, the State of Kuwait has pledged to reduce its production by 128,000 barrels per day.
With Kuwait cutting its oil production, Iran – which is excluded from the cuts – increased its production and overtook Kuwait as the fourth largest oil producer in OPEC.
Next year, Kuwait’s production share will be 2.676 million barrels per day, OPEC said when producers decided to extend those cuts until the end of 2024; To achieve and sustain a stable oil market, and to provide long-term guidance to the market.
Kuwait is not alone in planning to increase crude oil production capacity this decade. Saudi Arabia and the UAE also plan to boost each other’s capacities by one million barrels per day.
The UAE is accelerating its plans to increase its oil production capacity to 5 million barrels per day from 4 million barrels per day, while Saudi Arabia, the largest producer in OPEC and the largest exporter of crude oil in the world, aims to increase its production capacity of crude oil to 13 million barrels. per day by 2027, while producing 12 million barrels per day now.
Mercury is closest to the sun
On Tuesday, June 27, 2023, the planet Mercury reached perihelion, which is the closest distance from the sun during its 88-day orbital period, at 10:17 pm Mecca time (07:27 pm GMT), when it was at a distance of 46,375,340 million kilometers from the Sun.
The Astronomical Society in Jeddah said in a post on its Facebook page that the planet Mercury has a clear elliptical orbit, unlike most planets that follow almost circular orbits around the sun, varying only in the distance that separates them from the sun by a few percent.
It explained that the distance between Mercury and the sun ranges between 45,926,546 km at perihelion (the closest approach to the sun) and 69,862,206 km at aphelion (the farthest point from the sun).
And the Jeddah astronomer indicated that this difference, which exceeds 50%, means that the surface of the planet Mercury receives more than twice the energy from the sun at perihelion compared to the apogee.
However, she pointed out that this does not make much difference in the appearance of Mercury when observed with a telescope, as few details can be seen on its surface by ground-based telescopes.
The association noted that although the changing seasons have an incredible effect on the surface temperatures of Mercury, there is little change that can be seen for observers.
She added that it would be difficult to spot Mercury at the present time, as it will not appear higher than 07 degrees above the eastern horizon before sunrise.
And she attached her publication to a picture, which shows a simulation of the arrival of the planet Mercury at the perihelion point in its orbit around the sun, noting that the distances in the picture do not reflect the real distances in space.
nearest giant moon in 2023
The Astronomical Society in Jeddah stated that the sky of the Arab world is witnessing today, Tuesday, August 1, the full moon of Muharram, which is the second giant full moon, and the closest in 2023.
The association explained that the description of the giant moon is given to the moon, whether it is in the new moon or the full moon, when the distance between the center of the moon and the center of the earth is within 362,146 km.
She pointed out that the scientific name is Badr Al-Nahd, meaning the moon’s arrival at the closest point to the Earth, pointing out that despite that, the term giant moon is more attractive, and at the same time it gives people the wrong impression that the giant moon will look much larger, but in The reality is that the giant full moon does not look bigger than the regular full moon that we see monthly with the naked eye.
And the Jeddah astronomer noted in her post on Facebook that when comparing the nearest giant moon with most of the (average) moons, the apparent size will be 7% larger, and its luminosity will be 15% more, so the difference is not very large.
And she stressed that the nearest giant moon will not have an effect on the globe, except for the phenomena of tides, which is normal, explaining that every month on the day of the full moon, the earth, moon and sun are organized, and this causes wide tides.
The Astronomical Society in Jeddah pointed out that the high tide rises exceptionally, and on the same day the lowest tide occurs exceptionally, pointing out that since the full moon will be close to the perihelion point, the tide will emerge in a phenomenon called the perihelion high tide.
She added that since the influence of the nearest giant moon will be small, it will not affect the balance of our planet’s internal energy, given that tides occur daily, so an increase in geological activity or unusual weather conditions is not expected.
