The summer solstice, which marks the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, falls on June 21. According to the astronomical definition, the summer solstice marks the first day of summer.
Although the term is often used to refer to the longest day of the year, the astronomical phenomenon occurs at a specific time when the earth’s the North Pole tilts closest to the Sun.
In the southern hemisphere, the June solstice marks the beginning of astronomical winter and is the shortest day of the year.
When is the summer solstice?
On Tuesday, June 21, 2022, the summer solstice will occur at 5.14 am EDT (2.44 pm IST) in the northern hemisphere.
What is the summer solstice?
Every year, there are two solstices in June and December. The solstices are phenomena that occur as a result of the Earth’s tilt and its orbit around the Sun.
The axis of rotation of the Earth is tilted by roughly 23.4 degrees relative to the plane of its orbit around the Sun. During the summer solstice, the northern hemisphere is at its maximum tilt towards the Sun, which results in the longest day of the year, BBC Science Focus explained. At this point, the Sun is over the Tropic of Cancer.
The opposite happens during the winter solstice when the northern hemisphere is tilted farthest from the sun.
On June 21, 2022, New York will experience over 15 hours and five minutes of daylight, Newsweek reported. The sun will not set in the Arctic Circle.
Traditions
The ancient Stonehenge, a prehistoric monument in England, has been at the centre of the ritual celebration of solstices for millennia.
Although, it is not clear if the stones were originally built for a specific solstice or both, they are oriented to mark the position of the rising sun at the solstices. Even now, thousands of people gather at the Neolithic monument to watch the sunrise on the summer solstice.
Midsummer night festivities are organised in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland during the summer solstice. In Sweden, people pick up flowers at the break of the day and make wreaths to hang on maypoles. They also perform traditional ring dances.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
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