But for other parts of the world, the solstice is looked upon not as the start of summer, but rather as midsummer. If, for example, you were to pay a visit to Sweden or Norway at this time of year, you would find the local inhabitants celebrating a local holiday known as Midsummer's Day, which by ancient custom falls on June 24, a day also linked with the name of St. Is summer solstice the first day of summer?įor most of the world, this is true. And for those who are north of the Arctic Circle (66.5 degrees north) the sun remains above the horizon for 24 hours. At temperate or mid-northern latitudes (approximately 40 degrees north) the length of daylight lasts about 15 hours. At the equator, the time from sunrise to sunset is about 12 hours. In the Northern Hemisphere, the length of daylight varies depending on the latitude. How many hours of daylight do we get on the summer solstice? When does the summer solstice occur?ĭuring the 21st century, the dates for the occurrence of the solstice can fall either on June 20th or 21st. A motion that will continue for six months until the sun drops to its lowest point below the equator and then stop - another solstice point - marking the beginning of winter. At the moment of the solstice, that motion stops and then the sun will begin to move south. The word solstice literally means "sun standing still." It is derived from combining the Latin words sol for "sun" and sistere for “To Stand Still”.įor the previous six months, the sun has appeared to migrate on a northerly course in the sky. This point on the Earth is known as the Tropic of Cancer.
It marks that moment when the sun reaches that point when it is positioned farthest north - 23.5 degrees from the celestial equator. Joe Rao is 's skywatching columnist, as well as a veteran meteorologist and eclipse chaser who also serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium.
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