The summer solstice
Solstice
A solstice is an astronomical event that occurs twice each year (in June and December) as the Sun reaches its highest or lowest excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Both the solstices and the equinoxes are directly connected with the seasons of the year.
Where does the sun appear at the solstice?
You can also think about solstices in terms of where on Earth the sun appears. When it’s a summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun appears directly over the Tropic of Cancer, the latitude line at 23.5 degrees North. (That’s as far north as you can go and still see the sun directly overhead.)
How do people celebrate summer solstice around the world?
In some parts of Scandinavia, Maypoles are erected and people dance around them at Midsummer instead of May Day. Neopagans, Wiccans and New Agers around the world hold summer solstice celebrations. Each year, thousands gather at Stonehenge to commemorate the longest day of the year.
What is the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere?
Summer Solstice. In the Northern Hemisphere it takes place between June 20 and 22, depending on the year. (The reverse is true in the Southern Hemisphere, where the longest day of the year occurs between December 20 and 22.) Humans may have observed the summer solstice as early as the Stone Age.
Where is the June solstice located on Earth?
On Earth, solstices are twice-yearly phenomena in which solar declination reaches the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the south. During the June solstice (marked between June 20 and June 22), solar declination is about 23.5°N (the Tropic of Cancer).
How is the summer solstice calculated?
To calculate the altitude of the sun at noon of the summer solstice, add the tilt of the Earth, 23.5 degrees, to the 54 degrees to get the angle of 77.5 degrees.
Is the summer solstice always on June 21?
The timing of the June solstice is not based on a specific calendar date or time; it all depends on when the Sun reaches its northernmost point from the celestial equator. Therefore, the solstice won't always occur on the same day. Currently, it shifts between June 20, 21, and 22.
Where are the solstices found?
On Earth, solstices are twice-yearly phenomena in which solar declination reaches the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the south. During the June solstice (marked between June 20 and June 22), solar declination is about 23.5°N (the Tropic of Cancer).
How do you calculate solstice?
In simple English, draw a circle on the ground and plant a gnomon stick in the center. Beginning some days before the winter solstice, mark the length of the midday shadow relative to the circle. Repeat on each sunny day. When the shadow stops lengthening and begins to shorten, you've found the winter solstice.
What's the longest day of the year 2022?
June 21Summer solstice 2022 marks the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere. Summer officially began today (June 21) at 5:14 a.m. EDT (0914 GMT), huzzah!
Why 22 June is the longest day?
Since the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun in June, it receives more sunlight during the course of a day. The North Pole's tilt toward the Sun is greatest at the solstice, so this event marks the longest day of the year north of the equator.
When did the summer solstice begin?
On this day of the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, the Sun's vertical overhead rays progress to their southernmost position, the Tropic of Capricorn (23°27´ S). In the Northern Hemisphere the summer solstice occurs on June 20 or 21 and the winter...
What seasons are solstices?
Solstices. Occuring in June and December, the solstice marks either the start of winter or the start of summer. In the Northern Hemisphere, the June Solstice heralds the astronomical beginning of summer and is the day with the most daylight in the year.
What are the two solstices called?
The Solstices (Summer & Winter) The summer solstice occurs at the moment the earth's tilt toward/from the sun is at a maximum. Therefore, on the day of the summer solstice, the sun appears at its highest elevation with a noontime position that changes very little for several days before and after the summer solstice.
How do you calculate summer and winter solstice?
At the summer solstice, you add the earth's tilt to the equinox's angle --- so Will Hooker's sun angle at the summer solstice is 77.5 degrees (and ours is 76.7). At the winter solstice, you subtract the tilt of the earth, so for us the sun angle at the winter solstice is 29.7 degrees.
How is winter solstice calculated?
In the northern hemisphere, the Winter solstice is day of the year (near December 22) when the Sun is farthest south. However, in the southern hemisphere, winter and summer solstices are exchanged so that the winter solstice is the day on which the Sun is farthest north.
How do you identify the winter solstice?
The first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere is marked by the winter solstice, which occurs on Tuesday, December 21, 2021, at 10:59 A.M. EST. For the northern half of Earth (the Northern Hemisphere), the winter solstice occurs annually on December 21 or 22.
Is the summer solstice always on June 20?
The June solstice doesn't always occur on the same day — currently shifting between June 20, 21, and 22. Its timing is based on when the sun reaches its northernmost point from the celestial equator.
Which date is called the summer solstice and why?
summer solstice, the two moments during the year when the path of the Sun in the sky is farthest north in the Northern Hemisphere (June 20 or 21) or farthest south in the Southern Hemisphere (December 21 or 22). seasonal configuration of Earth and Sun. Related Topics: Midsummer's Eve solstice summer December June.
What is the special on June 21?
International Yoga dayInternational Yoga day is celebrated across the globe on 21 June to raise awareness about yoga in life and to make people aware of the benefits of yoga. In India, International Yoga Day is celebrated by the Ministry of AYUSH.
What is the longest day called?
Summer solsticeSummer solstice (June 20 or 21): longest day of the year, marking the start of summer.
Where does the sun appear on the solstice?
When it’s a summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun appears directly over the Tropic of Cancer, the latitude line at 23.5 degrees North. (That’s as far north as you can go and still see the sun directly overhead.)
How often is the summer solstice celebrated?
Once a year , an astronomical alignment ushers in this seasonal change. Summer solstice is celebrated across the world—and shrouded in myth.
What are solstices?
Solstices occur because Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted about 23.4 degrees relative to Earth's orbit around the sun. This tilt drives our planet's seasons, as the Northern and Southern Hemispheres get unequal amounts of sunlight over the course of a year. From March to September, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted more toward the sun, driving its spring and summer. From September to March, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away, so it feels like autumn and winter. The Southern Hemisphere's seasons are reversed.
What is the difference between the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere?
From March to September, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted more toward the sun, driving its spring and summer. From September to March, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away, so it feels like autumn and winter. The Southern Hemisphere's seasons are reversed. On two moments each year—what are called solstices—Earth's axis is tilted most closely ...
Why don't other planets have seasons?
First, planets vary in their axial tilts: Venus's axis of rotation is tilted by just three degrees, so there's much less seasonal difference between the Venusian summer and winter solstices than those on Earth . In addition, planets such as Mars have less circular orbits than Earth's, which means that their distances from the sun vary more dramatically than ours do, with correspondingly bigger effects on seasonal temperature.
Which planets have equinoxes?
During the Northern Hemisphere’s winter solstice, the sun appears directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, the Tropic of Cancer’s southern mirror image. Earth is not the only planet with solstices and equinoxes; any planet with a tilted rotational axis would see them, too.
What is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere?
Crowds gathered at the ancient stone circle to celebrate the summer solstice , the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Photograph by Peter Macdiarmid, Getty Images. Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
How are solstices determined?
The timing and extent of solstices are largely determined by the planet’s axial tilt, orbital eccentricity, and distance from the sun.
Why do people celebrate the summer solstice?
Ancient European tribes celebrated midsummer with feasts and bonfire s, intended to drive away evil spirits. In Alpine and Germanic regions, summer solstice bonfires are so ingrain ed in the cultures they have their own name: Sonnwendfeuer. Many of these traditions still survive in Europe and countries that have large populations with European (especially Scandinavia n) heritage, such as Canada and the United States.
What is the solar declination of the sun during the June solstice?
During the June solstice (marked between June 20 and June 22), solar declination is about 23.5°N (the Tropic of Cancer). During the December solstice (marked between December 20 ...
What is the event in which the planet's poles are most extremely inclined toward or away from the?
A solstice is an event in which a planet ’s pole s are most extremely incline d toward or away from the star it orbit s. On our planet, solstices are defined by solar declination —the latitude of the Earth where the sun is directly overhead at noon. On Earth, solstices are twice-yearly phenomena in which solar declination reaches the Tropic ...
Why are solstices called midwinter?
The Culture of the Solstices. Solstices now mark the beginning of winter and summer, but because some ancient cultures only recognized these two seasons ( there was no autumn or spring), the solstices occurred in the middle of the season. Solstices are known as midwinter and midsummer for this reason.
How long does it take for the solstices to shift?
Shifting Solstices. In any year which is not a leap year, solstices occur about 5 hours and 48 minutes later from one year to the next. This is why the seasons would drift later and later in the year if it was not for an additional day being inserted into every fourth year on February 29.
Where does the sun appear at noon?
The solstices mark when the subsolar point reaches its northernmost and southernmost latitudes.
What Is The Summer Solstice?
A summer solstice is the moment in time when the earth’s tilt toward the sun is at its maximum and the sun reaches its highest position in the sky.
How to use the solstice?
Use The Solstice As A Restart: If things haven’t been going quite the way that you’ve wanted of late, use the solstice as a way to wipe your slate clean and give yourself a fresh start. Write down any behaviors or experiences that you want to put behind you on a piece of paper and then bury that paper (or burn it).
How to start your day with yoga?
Start Your Day With A Sun Salutation: International Yoga Day falls on the same day as the summer solstice. So, wake up and do a sun salutation, which is a series of yoga poses that provide a great overall body stretch. There are also a number of in-person and/or virtual yoga events that you can take part in, such as Solstice in Times Square, which takes place on Sunday, June 20th this year. This free event is intended to help people find calm once again within the chaos of life in New York City on the summer solstice. Both experienced yogis and first-timers can take part in one of seven socially-distanced, limited capacity classes in-person, or join the class virtually by livestreaming one of the sessions throughout the day.
What time is the June solstice?
This year, the June solstice, which marks the official start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere (and winter in the Southern Hemisphere), will take place on Monday, June 21st at 3:32 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), or on Sunday, June 20th at 11:32 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). If you’d like to find the time of the June solstice where you live, you can translate UTC to your time zone .
How to reset your body clock in the summer?
Reset Your Body Clock: Midsummer is a great time to focus on improving your health and happiness by getting better sleep in the summer. Since light is the number one factor in regulating your body clock, make sure to get some sunshine while you can during the day, and also do your best to keep light out when it’s time for you to go to bed. Making use of the extra hours of sunlight during Midsummer is an excellent way to get started with your new sleep schedule.
How long does the sun last on the solstice?
Different latitudes also get different amounts of sunlight on the solstice. For example, the longest day of the year at the equator lasts for around 12 hours, while the longest day of the year at the North Pole lasts for 24 hours. In fact, all locations inside the Arctic Circle experience a continuous period of daylight for 24 hours. And if you live in southern Texas you’ll get a little less than 14 hours of daylight, but if you live in Washington or Maine, you’ll get almost 16 hours of daylight.
What is the significance of the summer solstice?
Traditionally, people celebrated the return of light, life, fertility, and the potential for a good harvest on the longest day of the year.
