Summer solstice
Encyclopedia
Axial tilt
In astronomy, axial tilt is the angle between an object's rotational axis, and a line perpendicular to its orbital plane...
of a planet's semi-axis in a given hemisphere is most inclined towards the star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
that it orbits. Earth's maximum axial tilt to our star, the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
, during a solstice
Solstice
A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year when the Sun's apparent position in the sky, as viewed from Earth, reaches its northernmost or southernmost extremes...
is 23° 26'. Though the summer solstice
Solstice
A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year when the Sun's apparent position in the sky, as viewed from Earth, reaches its northernmost or southernmost extremes...
is an instant in time, the term is also colloquially used like Midsummer
Midsummer
Midsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different...
to refer to the day on which it occurs. Except in the polar regions (where daylight is continuous for many months), the day on which the summer solstice occurs is the day of the year with the longest period of daylight. The summer solstice occurs in June in the Northern Hemisphere north of the Tropic of Cancer (23°26'N) and in December in the Southern Hemisphere south of the Tropic of Capricorn (23°26'S). The Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
reaches its highest position in the sky on the day of the summer solstice. However, between the Tropic of Cancer
Tropic of Cancer
The Tropic of Cancer, also referred to as the Northern tropic, is the circle of latitude on the Earth that marks the most northerly position at which the Sun may appear directly overhead at its zenith...
and the Tropic of Capricorn
Tropic of Capricorn
The Tropic of Capricorn, or Southern tropic, marks the most southerly latitude on the Earth at which the Sun can be directly overhead. This event occurs at the December solstice, when the southern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun to its maximum extent.Tropic of Capricorn is one of the five...
, the highest sun position does not occur at the summer solstice, since the sun reaches the zenith
Zenith
The zenith is an imaginary point directly "above" a particular location, on the imaginary celestial sphere. "Above" means in the vertical direction opposite to the apparent gravitational force at that location. The opposite direction, i.e...
here and it does so at different times of the year depending on the latitude
Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
of the observer. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the summer solstice occurs some time between December 21 and December 22 each year in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
, and between June 20 and June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
.
Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied among cultures, but most have held a recognition of sign of the fertility, involving holiday
Holiday
A Holiday is a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observance is warranted. It is generally an official or unofficial observance of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations...
s, festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
s, gatherings, ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
s or other celebrations around that time.
The word solstice derives from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still).
Dates and times
The following lists the dates and UTCCoordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
times of the summer solstice for the early portion of the 21st century.
| Year | Northern Hemisphere | Southern Hemisphere |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | June 21, 01:48 | December 21, 13:37 |
| 2001 | June 21, 07:38 | December 21, 19:21 |
| 2002 | June 21, 13:24 | December 22, 01:14 |
| 2003 | June 21, 19:10 | December 22, 07:04 |
| 2004 | June 21, 00:57 | December 21, 12:42 |
| 2005 | June 21, 06:46 | December 21, 18:35 |
| 2006 | June 21, 12:26 | December 22, 00:22 |
| 2007 | June 21, 18:06 | December 22, 06:08 |
| 2008 | June 20, 23:59 | December 21, 12:04 |
| 2009 | June 21, 05:46 | December 21, 17:47 |
| 2010 | June 21, 11:28 | December 21, 23:38 |
| 2011 | June 21, 17:16 | December 22, 05:30 |
| 2012 | June 20, 23:09 | December 21, 11:12 |
| 2013 | June 21, 05:04 | December 21, 17:11 |
| 2014 | June 21, 10:51 | December 21, 21:23 |
| 2015 | June 21, 16:38 | December 22, 04:48 |
| 2016 | June 20, 22:34 | December 21, 10:44 |
| 2017 | June 21, 04:24 | December 21, 16:28 |
| 2018 | June 21, 10:07 | December 21, 22:23 |
| 2019 | June 21, 15:54 | December 22, 04:19 |
| 2020 | June 20, 21:44 | December 21, 10:02 |
Celebrations
- MidsummerMidsummerMidsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different...
- Ivan Kupala DayIvan Kupala DayKupala Day is celebrated in Poland, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine currently on the night of 6/7 July in the Gregorian or New Style calendar, which is 23/24 June in the Julian or Old Style calendar still used by many Orthodox Churches. Calendar-wise, it is opposite to the winter solstice holiday...
- Saint Jonas' FestivalSaint Jonas' FestivalSaint Jonas' Festival is a midsummer folk festival celebrated on June 24 all around Lithuania. While midsummer day is celebrated throughout Europe, many Lithuanians have a particularly lively agenda on this day...
- KupalaKupalaPolish Noc Świętojańska or Sobótka Russian, Ukrainian Ніч на Купала or Купало/Купайло and Belarusian Купала may mean the traditional fest or the name of a putative god...
fertility rite - WiankiWiankiWianki is a cyclical cultural event, taking place annually in Kraków at the bend of Wisła river, near the Wawel hill.-History:...
See also
- Day lengthDay lengthDay length, or length of day, or length of daytime, refers to the time each day from the moment the upper limb of the sun's disk appears above the horizon during sunrise to the moment when the upper limb disappears below the horizon during sunset...
- EquinoxEquinoxAn equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator...
- Winter solsticeWinter solsticeWinter solstice may refer to:* Winter solstice, astronomical event* Winter Solstice , former band* Winter Solstice: North , seasonal songs* Winter Solstice , 2005 American film...
- XiazhiXiazhiThe traditional East Asian calendars divide a year into 24 solar terms .-The tenth:Xiàzhì or Geshi is the 10th solar term, and marks the summer solstice. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 90° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 105°...
- Midsummer's day
- StonehengeStonehengeStonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...