Aphelion not to blame for freezing temperatures
Cold snap descends
Fake weather information reared its head on social media platforms on Tuesday as Namibia experienced sub-zero temperatures in many parts of the country.
Most areas of Namibia experienced below-freezing temperatures at the beginning of August, while sleeting was experienced in the south of the country.
With the freezing weather – some places recorded temperatures below minus-10 degrees Celsius on Tuesday morning - posts containing false information once again surfaced, claiming that the cold weather was due to the “aphelion phenomenon”.
The fact-checking team at Namibia Fact Check had already dismissed this claim as false earlier this year when it initially surfaced.
According to the viral social media posts, shared on applications such as WhatsApp among other social platforms, the world is experiencing an "aphelion phenomenon" until 22 August this year, which will result in colder than usual weather.
Namibia Fact Check explained that the aphelion simply refers to the furthest point the earth reaches annually in its orbit around the sun.
The truth
The website timeanddate.com states that for Namibia, the aphelion occurred on 4 July. The fact checkers explained that it is not something that lasts for months, as the false post claims.
"The viral false post also contains wrong figures for the distances between the sun and earth, claiming specifically that the ‘distance from the earth to the sun is normally 90 million kilometres and that during the aphelion this distance becomes 152 million kilometres. Thus during aphelion, the earth is 66% further from the sun.' This is not true."
Fact Check Namibia wrote that the earth is never further away from the sun than roughly 147.1 million kilometres.
The point at which the earth is closest to the sun is called the perihelion.
"The difference in distance between the perihelion and the aphelion is roughly 3%, not 66% as the false post claims."
Cold snap
The minimum temperature recorded in Klein Windhoek was -6 degrees Celsius; in Suiderhof -5.8; at Hosea Kutako -9.5 degrees Celsius; Pionierspark recorded -5 degrees Celsius; Eros reported -1 degrees Celsius and Olympia -3 degrees Celsius.
At Ausblick it was -8 degrees Celsius and at Omeya -12 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, Okahandja reported -2 degrees Celsius; Outjo -3 degrees Celsius; Swakop -2 degrees Celsius; Grootfontein -2 degrees Celsius; Otjiwarongo -3 degrees Celsius; Omaruru -8 degrees Celius and Karibib -2 degrees Celius.
Daan Viljoen reported -6 degrees Celius.
Sendelingsdrift, Oranjemund Snyfontein and Keetmanshoop received some light rains, while sleeting was reported in Maltahöhe yesterday.
According to AfriWX Weather Forecast, temperatures will start to pick up slowly throughout the week.
By Thursday, Windhoek can expect a minimum of 3 degrees Celsius and on Friday 7 degrees Celsius.
It is expected that temperatures will be 2 degrees Celsius in Okahandja on Thursday and the following day increase to 7 degrees Celsius, while in Otjiwarongo it is expected to be 6 degrees Celsius on Thursday, increasing to 10 degrees Celsius.
Temperatures in Omaruru are expected to be two degrees Celsius, with an increase to 8 degrees Celsius by Friday.
With the freezing weather – some places recorded temperatures below minus-10 degrees Celsius on Tuesday morning - posts containing false information once again surfaced, claiming that the cold weather was due to the “aphelion phenomenon”.
The fact-checking team at Namibia Fact Check had already dismissed this claim as false earlier this year when it initially surfaced.
According to the viral social media posts, shared on applications such as WhatsApp among other social platforms, the world is experiencing an "aphelion phenomenon" until 22 August this year, which will result in colder than usual weather.
Namibia Fact Check explained that the aphelion simply refers to the furthest point the earth reaches annually in its orbit around the sun.
The truth
The website timeanddate.com states that for Namibia, the aphelion occurred on 4 July. The fact checkers explained that it is not something that lasts for months, as the false post claims.
"The viral false post also contains wrong figures for the distances between the sun and earth, claiming specifically that the ‘distance from the earth to the sun is normally 90 million kilometres and that during the aphelion this distance becomes 152 million kilometres. Thus during aphelion, the earth is 66% further from the sun.' This is not true."
Fact Check Namibia wrote that the earth is never further away from the sun than roughly 147.1 million kilometres.
The point at which the earth is closest to the sun is called the perihelion.
"The difference in distance between the perihelion and the aphelion is roughly 3%, not 66% as the false post claims."
Cold snap
The minimum temperature recorded in Klein Windhoek was -6 degrees Celsius; in Suiderhof -5.8; at Hosea Kutako -9.5 degrees Celsius; Pionierspark recorded -5 degrees Celsius; Eros reported -1 degrees Celsius and Olympia -3 degrees Celsius.
At Ausblick it was -8 degrees Celsius and at Omeya -12 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, Okahandja reported -2 degrees Celsius; Outjo -3 degrees Celsius; Swakop -2 degrees Celsius; Grootfontein -2 degrees Celsius; Otjiwarongo -3 degrees Celsius; Omaruru -8 degrees Celius and Karibib -2 degrees Celius.
Daan Viljoen reported -6 degrees Celius.
Sendelingsdrift, Oranjemund Snyfontein and Keetmanshoop received some light rains, while sleeting was reported in Maltahöhe yesterday.
According to AfriWX Weather Forecast, temperatures will start to pick up slowly throughout the week.
By Thursday, Windhoek can expect a minimum of 3 degrees Celsius and on Friday 7 degrees Celsius.
It is expected that temperatures will be 2 degrees Celsius in Okahandja on Thursday and the following day increase to 7 degrees Celsius, while in Otjiwarongo it is expected to be 6 degrees Celsius on Thursday, increasing to 10 degrees Celsius.
Temperatures in Omaruru are expected to be two degrees Celsius, with an increase to 8 degrees Celsius by Friday.
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article