A red giant has appeared in the sky over Arabia, which is considered the harbinger of an extremely cold winter - the mysterious star Antares.
Antares is the brightest star in the constellation Scorpio, located almost in its central part and approximately 600 light-years distant from Earth. Its name is translated from Greek as "against Ares" (that is, Mars), since its red color really resembles Mars.
Antares is located 555 light years from the Sun: its mass is only 12 - 13 times larger than the sun, but its size is truly gigantic - its radius is more than 350 million km. Ancient people, seduced by the unusual color of the star, looked at Antares in awe, in Egypt they prayed for him, in Persia they considered him a royal star.
Arab astronomers called Antares Kalb al-Akrab, that is, the "Heart of Scorpio." It was she who predicted the onset of a cold winter. According to Hassan Al Hajeri, director of the Dubai Astronomical Center, for Arab mariners, the appearance of Antares in the sky meant the onset of cold weather, strong winds and heavy rain.
"This giant is located close to the center of our galaxy. It appears in the middle of winter, usually in December, and symbolizes the beginning of the cool season of Marabanei. The star is clearly visible in the sky before dawn. They say that if you do not start wearing winter clothes at this time, you can get sick “In childhood, parents also asked us to stop playing in the water,” Al Hajeri said.
As noted at the National Center for Meteorology and Seismology, the outdoor temperature in the UAE began to drop, starting from Saturday, December 8th. Forecasters noted that this day can be considered the beginning of the winter period.
