PIKIRAN RAKYAT - Muhamad Iid Mujtahiddin, an observer and forecaster at the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in Bandung, said the recent temperature drop in Java was not caused by aphelion.

According to him, aphelion is an astronomical phenomenon when the Earth's position is far from the sun. This phenomenon has no significant effect on Earth. "The weather is not caused by aphelion. The narrative and information that has been circulating about aphelion as the cause of this cold temperature is a hoax," he said on Tuesday, 16 July 2024.

Iid later explained what actually caused Java's recent cold temperature. One of the factors is winter in Australia. "The cold weather in Indonesia always occurs during the dry season. This weather is caused by the winter in Australia. Right now it is the dry season in Indonesia, while it is winter in Australia. In Australia, the temperature usually drops between July and August. The observation shows that at the moment it is 7-8 degrees Celsius," said Iid.

The cold temperatures in Indonesia were also caused by the Australian monsun. "There's the Australian monsun, which is a propagation of air masses. These winds come from the south-east winds of Australia," he explained.

Iid also talked about the difference in air pressure between north and south of the equator. "This difference caused the wind speed to increase. The wind comes from the lands of Australia to the north, it crosses Java, when the wind travels at high speed, the cold temperature of Australia arrives even faster, gusts of wind also affect it," he said.

According to him, this happens every year. This year, Indonesia's cold weather is predicted to last until August. "The cold weather itself will occur between the months of June, July and August. By September, it would have shifted again. The wind would come from the west," Iid said.

Another factor that may have contributed to the cold temperature in Java is cloud cover. "There is little cloud cover in the dry season. The heat from the sun is relatively less absorbed, so it is relatively colder at night," he explained.

BMKG has appealed to the public not to believe the aphelion hoax as the cause of the cold weather. With this, BMKG hopes that citizens will frequently check the weather information provided in BMKG's official channels, whether from the application, social media or even the website.

BMKG also appeals to the public to maintain their health by wearing jackets, blankets and consuming warm water, as the current weather conditions are prone to cause respiratory diseases.***(Politeknik Negeri Bandung/Yeurley Arba Nabila)