Today on June 21st is considered as the longest day of the year. Officially, the Summer Solstice 2010 is celebrated on 21 June at 7:28 a.m. Most of the people are celebrating this festival in a grand way. Several civilized nations celebrate this day with high spirit.
June 21 is the 172nd day of the year and 173rd in leap years in the Gregorian calendar and it marks the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere and the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere. The sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere, so this is the day of the year with the longest hours of daylight in the northern hemisphere.
According to Wikipedia : “A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year, when the tilt of the Earth’s axis is most inclined toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun’s apparent position in the sky to reach its northernmost or southernmost extreme”. As per reports, across the globe, different cultures worship and celebrate the period around the Summer Solstice since it is considered to be a symbol of fertility, new life and a time for rituals.
An imaginary line is passing through the earth between the north and south poles, when the earth spins around its axis. The axis is tilted somewhat off the plane of the earth’s revolution around the sun. In the month of June and September, summer occurs in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern hemisphere due to the axis tilts towards the sun. On the other hand, the southern hemisphere enjoys the direct rays of the sun during their summer months when the axis points away from the sun from December to March.
There are 24 hours of daylight north of the Arctic Circle (66.5° north of the equator) and 24 hours of darkness south of the Antarctic Circle (66.5° south of the equator) on June 21. The sun’s rays are directly overhead along the Tropic of Cancer (the latitude line at 23.5° north, passing through Mexico, Saharan Africa, and India) on June 21. The tilt of the axis is 23.5 degrees. Because of this tilt, we enjoy the four seasons. One half of the earth receives more direct rays of the sun than the other half for several months of the year.
About July 3, the earth is furthest from the sun. This point is known as the aphelion and the earth is 94,555,000 miles away from the sun. The earth is 94,555,000 miles away from the sun. When the earth is a mere 91,445,000 miles from the sun at that time the perihelion takes place about January 4. Hemisphere receives more direct rays of the sun due to this summer season occurs in a hemisphere and the opposite hemisphere occurs winter. The sun rays fall on the earth at slanting angles and is thus less concentrated in winter.
The earth’s axis is pointing sideways so both hemispheres have moderate weather during spring and fall and the rays of the sun are directly overhead the equator. The sun is high in the sky as a result it stays warm and humid (“tropical”) year-round between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° latitude south). It doesn’t experience any season. All the seasons are experience by the people in the upper latitudes north and south.
Difference in sunrise and sunset in various locales around the globe are given below:
Seattle, Washington: The solstice in Seattle experiences a sunrise at 5:11 a.m. and sunset at 9:10 p.m. The earliest sunrise of 5:10 a.m. lasts from June 13-18. The maximum sunset of 9:10 p.m. lasts from June 20 through July 2.
New York City, New York: The Big Apple sees the sun rise at 5:24 a.m. on June 21 and set at 8:30 p.m. Maximums are one minute off – 5:23 a.m. from June 12-17 and 8:31 from June 22-July 3.
Los Angeles, California: On June 21 the sun rises in L.A. at 5:41 a.m. and sets at 8:07 p.m., which would’ve given me a full 26 extra minutes of sun-lit play time! L.A.’s earliest sunrise is the same as the solstice and lasts from June 4-21 but the sunset is one minute later, 8:08 p.m. from June 28-July 1.
Honolulu, Hawaii: Much closer to the equator and the 12-hour daylight that places on the equator experience on June 20-21, Honolulu has a sunrise of 5:50 a.m. and sunset of 7:16 p.m. The earliest sunrise in Hawaii is 5:49 a.m. from May 28-June 18 and the latest sunset is 7:18 p.m. from June 29-July 10.
Anchorage, Alaska: The sun rises in Anchorage at 4:20 a.m. and sets at 11:42 p.m. on June 21. The earliest sunrise an Anchorage experience is at 4:20 a.m. but lasts from June 15 through June 23. The latest sunset also corresponds to the solstice sunset at 11:42 p.m. but lasts from June 21 through June 26.
Miami, Florida: Miami experiences sunrise at 6:30 a.m. on the 21st and sunset at 8:14 p.m. Its maximums are 6:28 a.m. from June 6-12 and 8:16 p.m. from June 30-July 5.
Sacramento, California: On June 21, Sacramento’s sunrise is at 5:42 a.m. and its sunset is at 8:33 p.m. The maximums are each one minute off of the solstice times. The earliest sunrise in Sacramento is 5:41 a.m. which lasts from June 7-20 and the latest sunset is at 8:34 p.m. from June 25-July 10.
Portland, Oregon: Portland’s solstice sunrise and sunset correspond precisely with its latest sunrise and sunset of 5:21 a.m. and 9:03 p.m. The maximums last from June 10-21 and June 21-July 2 respectively.
List of Equinoxes and Solstices (Source: U.S. Naval Observatory):
- Vernal Equinox – Mar 20 2010 – 1:32 PM EDT
- Summer Solstice – Jun 21 2010 – 7:28 AM EDT
- Autumnal Equinox – Sep 22 2010 – 11:09 PM EDT
- Winter Solstice – Dec 21 2010 – 6:38 PM EST
Video of the Summer Solstice 2010: June 21st – the longest day of the year from YouTube:
