Summer solstice

The summer solstice, also known as estival solstice or

midsummer

, occurs when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere (Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the summer solstice is when the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky (for areas outside of the

tropics

) and is the day with the longest period of daylight. Within the Arctic circle (for the northern hemisphere) or Antarctic circle (for the southern hemisphere), there is

continuous daylight

around the summer solstice. On the summer solstice, Earth's maximum axial tilt toward the Sun is 23.44°. Likewise, the Sun's declination from the celestial equator is 23.44°.

The summer solstice occurs during summer. This is the June solstice in the

Northern Hemisphere

and the December solstice in the

Southern Hemisphere

. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the summer solstice occurs sometime between June 20 and June 22 in the Northern Hemisphere and between December 20 and December 23 in the Southern Hemisphere. The same dates in the opposite hemisphere are referred to as the

winter solstice

.

Since prehistory, the summer solstice has been seen as a significant time of year in many cultures, and has been marked by festivals and rituals. Traditionally, in many temperate regions (especially Europe), the summer solstice is seen as the middle of summer and referred to as "midsummer". Today, however, in some countries and calendars it is seen as the beginning of summer.

Distinctions

Although the summer solstice is the longest day of the year for that hemisphere, the dates of earliest sunrise and latest sunset vary by a few days. This is because Earth orbits the Sun in an ellipse, and its orbital speed varies slightly during the year.

Although the Sun appears at its highest altitude from the viewpoint of an observer in outer space or a terrestrial observer outside tropical latitudes, the highest altitude occurs on a different day for certain locations in the tropics, specifically those where the Sun is directly overhead (maximum 90 degrees elevation) at the

subsolar point

. This day occurs twice each year for all locations between the

Tropic of Cancer

and Tropic of Capricorn because the overhead Sun appears to cross a given latitude once before the day of the solstice and once afterward. For example, Lahaina Noon occurs in May and July in Hawaii. See

solstice

article. For all observers, the apparent position of the noon Sun is at its most northerly point on the June solstice and most southerly on the December solstice.

Full moon

The year 2016 was the first time in nearly 70 years that a full moon and the

Northern Hemisphere

's summer solstice occurred on the same day. The 2016 summer solstice's full moon rose just as the Sun set.

Cultural aspects

The significance given to the summer solstice has varied among cultures, but most recognize the event in some way with

holiday

s,

festival

s, and

ritual

s around that time with themes of religion or fertility. For example, in

Sweden

,

midsummer

is one of the year's major holidays when the country closes down as much as during Christmas. In some regions, the summer solstice is seen as the beginning of

summer

and the end of spring. In other cultural conventions, the solstice is closer to the middle of summer.

''Solstice'' is derived from the

Latin

words ''sol'' (Sun) and ''sistere'' (to stand still).

Date

Celebrations

*

Midsummer

* Noc Kupały (

Poland

)
* Dragon Boat Festival (

East Asia

)
*

Christmas

typically marks the southern summer solstice.
*Saint John's Eve or June

solstice

celebration (

Catalan countries

)
* Day of Private Reflection (

Northern Ireland

)
*

Jaanipäev

(

Estonia

)
*

Juhannus

(

Finland

)
* Jāņi (

Latvia

)
* Rasos (Lithuania)
* National Aboriginal Day (

Canada

)
* Tiregān (

Iran

)
*

Fremont Solstice Parade

(Fremont, Seattle, Washington,

United States

)
* Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Parade (Santa Barbara, California,

United States

)
* International Surfing Day
*

International Yoga Day

* Fête de la Musique, also known as World Music Day

Winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere

*

Inti Raymi

,

Machu Picchu

,

Peru

* We Tripantu, (

Mapuche

, southern

Chile

)
* Willkakuti, an Andean-Amazonic New Year (Aymara)

Length of the day on the summer solstice of the north

Length of day increases from the equator towards the North Pole in the Northern Hemisphere in June (around the summer solstice there), but decreases towards the South Pole in the Southern Hemisphere at the time of the southern winter solstice.

See also

*

Daytime

*

Stonehenge

* Tekufah
* ''Xiazhi'' (Summer solstice in Chinese culture)

References

External links

Table of dates/times from 1600–2400

{{DEFAULTSORT:Summer solstice
Time in astronomy
International observances
solstice

de:Sonnenwende#Sommersonnenwende