Longest day and shortest night of the year.When it’s still dusk at 9 or 10 p.m. and gets light again around 5 o’clock the next morning.
We know the longest day of the year is upon us. This Saturday is the June solstice, marking the longest day of the year.
And the astronomical start to summer in Earth’s northern hemisphere.
At 6:51 a.m. EDT on June 21, the sun can be seen directly overhead along the Tropic of Cancer at 23.5º north latitude.
With the Earth’s North Pole at its maximum tilt toward the sun.
Locations north of the equator see the sun follow its longest and highest path across the southern sky.
Longest day and shortest night of the year.
This means the shadow you cast at local solar noon will be the shortest of the year.
The exact amount of daylight we see on the summer solstice is highly dependent on latitude (see image).
North of the Arctic Circle, the sun circles the sky for 24 hours.
But while the high latitudes see continuous daylight, the sun’s low angle in the sky provides very ineffective heating.
As a result, temperatures in the Arctic aren’t exactly summerlike even when the sun is up for weeks or months at a time.
Seasonal turning point.
The summer solstice has been celebrated throughout human history as an astronomical turning point.
Daylight is at a maximum and the location of sunrise and sunset appear to “stand still” (from the Latin sol sistere).
With respect to the horizon before reversing direction.
For the next few days, the sun rises and sets at its northernmost point on the horizon.
Before slowly migrating southward again for the next six months.
Longest day and shortest night of the year.
As a result, temperatures in the Arctic aren’t exactly summerlike even when the sun is up for weeks or months at a time.
