File:Summer_Solstice_Sunrise_over_Stonehenge_2005.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
summer solstice
Sign in to saveAlso known as estival solstice, midsummer
astronomical phenomenon that occurs in June in Northern Hemisphere and in December in Southern Hemisphere
Key facts
- Also called
- Midsummer ; the Longest Day; the Shortest Night; Estival solstice
- Observed by
- Various cultures
- Type
- Cultural, astronomical
- Significance
- Beginning of lengthening nights and shortening days
- Date
- June 20 or June 21, ( Northern Hemisphere ) , and December 21 or December 22 , ( Southern Hemisphere )
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Summer Solstice Sunrise over Stonehenge 2005.jpg
Show 1 more fact
- Commons category
- Summer solstices
via Wikidata · CC0
~5 min read
Article
Earth during the summer solstice in June 2017 The summer solstice or estival solstice 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). The summer solstice is the day with the longest period of daylight and shortest night of the year in that hemisphere, when the sun is at its highest position in the sky. At either pole there is continuous daylight at the time of its summer solstice. The opposite event is the winter solstice.
The summer solstice occurs during the hemisphere's summer. In the Northern Hemisphere, this is the June solstice (20 or 21 June) and in the Southern Hemisphere, this is the December solstice (21 or 22 December). Since prehistory, the summer solstice has been a significant time of year in many cultures, and has been marked by festivals and rituals. Traditionally, in temperate regions (especially Europe), the summer solstice is seen as the middle of summer and referred to as "midsummer", although today in some countries and calendars it is seen as summer's beginning.