Summer solstice
| event | equinox | solstice | equinox | solstice | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| month | March[3] | June[4] | September[5] | December[6] | ||||
| year | day | time | day | time | day | time | day | time |
| 2018 | 20 | 16:15 | 21 | 10:07 | 23 | 01:54 | 21 | 22:22 |
| 2019 | 20 | 21:58 | 21 | 15:54 | 23 | 07:50 | 22 | 04:19 |
| 2020 | 20 | 03:50 | 20 | 21:43 | 22 | 13:31 | 21 | 10:03 |
| 2021 | 20 | 09:37 | 21 | 03:32 | 22 | 19:21 | 21 | 15:59 |
| 2022 | 20 | 15:33 | 21 | 09:14 | 23 | 01:04 | 21 | 21:48 |
| 2023 | 20 | 21:25 | 21 | 14:58 | 23 | 06:50 | 22 | 03:28 |
| 2024 | 20 | 03:07 | 20 | 20:51 | 22 | 12:44 | 21 | 09:20 |
| 2025 | 20 | 09:02 | 21 | 02:42 | 22 | 18:20 | 21 | 15:03 |
| 2026 | 20 | 14:46 | 21 | 08:25 | 23 | 00:06 | 21 | 20:50 |
| 2027 | 20 | 20:25 | 21 | 14:11 | 23 | 06:02 | 22 | 02:43 |
| 2028 | 20 | 02:17 | 20 | 20:02 | 22 | 11:45 | 21 | 08:20 |
The summer solstice, also called the estival solstice[7] 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 the day with the longest period of daylight and shortest night of the year, when the Sun is at its highest position in the sky. Within the Arctic circle (for the Northern hemisphere) or Antarctic circle (for the Southern), there is continuous daylight around the summer solstice. The opposite event is the winter solstice.
The summer solstice occurs during summer.[8] This is the June solstice (usually 20 or 21 June) in the Northern hemisphere[9][10] and the December solstice (usually 21 or 22 December) in the Southern.[11] On the summer solstice, Earth's maximum axial tilt toward the Sun is 23.44°.[12] Likewise, the Sun's declination from the celestial equator is 23.44°.
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"; although today 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.[13] This is because Earth orbits the Sun in an ellipse, and its orbital speed varies slightly during the year.[12]
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.[14] The 2016 summer solstice's full moon rose just as the Sun set.[15]
Culture
The significance given to the summer solstice has varied among cultures, but most recognize the event in some way with holidays, festivals, and rituals around that time with themes of religion or fertility.[16] 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 occurs during summer.[17]
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 Indigenous Peoples 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 northern summer solstice
The following tables contain information on the length of the day on 20 June 2016, close to the summer solstice of the Northern Hemisphere and winter solstice of the Southern Hemisphere. The data was collected from the website of the Finnish Meteorological Institute[18] as well as from certain other websites.[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]
The data is arranged geographically and within the tables from the longest day to the shortest one. Times that occur the next day (21 June) are marked with +.
| Fennoscandia and the Baltic states | |||
| City | Sunrise 20 June 2016 | Sunset 20 June 2016 | Length of the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murmansk | — | — | 24 h |
| Apatity | — | — | 24 h |
| Bodø | — | — | 24 h |
| Rovaniemi | — | — | 24 h |
| Luleå | 1:00 | 0:05+ | 23 h 04 min |
| Arkhangelsk | 1:34 | 23:04 | 21 h 30 min |
| Reykjavík | 2:55 | 0:03+ | 21 h 08 min |
| Trondheim | 3:02 | 23:37 | 20 h 35 min |
| Tórshavn | 3:36 | 23:21 | 19 h 45 min |
| Petrozavodsk | 2:55 | 22:33 | 19 h 38 min |
| Helsinki | 3:54 | 22:49 | 18 h 55 min |
| Saint Petersburg | 3:35 | 22:25 | 18 h 50 min |
| Oslo | 3:53 | 22:43 | 18 h 49 min |
| Tallinn | 4:03 | 22:42 | 18 h 39 min |
| Stockholm | 3:30 | 22:07 | 18 h 37 min |
| Riga | 4:29 | 22:21 | 17 h 52 min |
| Copenhagen | 4:25 | 21:57 | 17 h 32 min |
| Vilnius | 4:41 | 21:59 | 17 h 17 min |
| Europe | |||
| City | Sunrise 20 June 2016 | Sunset 20 June 2016 | Length of the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh | 4:26 | 22:02 | 17 h 36 min |
| Moscow | 3:44 | 21:17 | 17 h 33 min |
| Berlin | 4:43 | 21:33 | 16 h 49 min |
| Warsaw | 4:14 | 21:00 | 16 h 46 min |
| London | 4:43 | 21:21 | 16 h 38 min |
| Kyiv | 4:46 | 21:12 | 16 h 26 min |
| Paris | 5:46 | 21:57 | 16 h 10 min |
| Vienna | 4:53 | 20:58 | 16 h 04 min |
| Budapest | 4:46 | 20:44 | 15 h 58 min |
| Zürich | 5:29 | 21:25 | 15 h 56 min |
| Rome | 5:34 | 20:48 | 15 h 13 min |
| Madrid | 6:44 | 21:48 | 15 h 03 min |
| Lisbon | 6:11 | 21:04 | 14 h 52 min |
| Athens | 6:02 | 20:50 | 14 h 48 min |
| Africa | |||
| City | Sunrise 20 June 2016 | Sunset 20 June 2016 | Length of the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo | 4:54 | 18:59 | 14 h 04 min |
| Tenerife | 7:08 | 21:05 | 13 h 57 min |
| Dakar | 6:41 | 19:41 | 12 h 59 min |
| Addis Ababa | 6:07 | 18:46 | 12 h 38 min |
| Nairobi | 6:32 | 18:35 | 12 h 02 min |
| Kinshasa | 6:04 | 17:56 | 11 h 52 min |
| Dar es Salaam | 6:32 | 18:16 | 11 h 43 min |
| Luanda | 6:20 | 17:56 | 11 h 36 min |
| Jamestown | 6:49 | 17:59 | 11 h 10 min |
| Antananarivo | 6:21 | 17:21 | 10 h 59 min |
| Windhoek | 6:30 | 17:15 | 10 h 44 min |
| Johannesburg | 6:54 | 17:24 | 10 h 29 min |
| Cape Town | 7:51 | 17:44 | 9 h 53 min |
| Middle East | |||
| City | Sunrise 20 June 2016 | Sunset 20 June 2016 | Length of the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tehran | 5:48 | 20:23 | 14 h 34 min |
| Beirut | 5:27 | 19:52 | 14 h 24 min |
| Baghdad | 4:53 | 19:14 | 14 h 21 min |
| Jerusalem | 5:33 | 19:47 | 14 h 13 min |
| Manama | 4:45 | 18:32 | 13 h 46 min |
| Doha | 4:44 | 18:26 | 13 h 42 min |
| Dubai | 5:29 | 19:11 | 13 h 42 min |
| Riyadh | 5:04 | 18:44 | 13 h 39 min |
| Muscat | 5:19 | 18:55 | 13 h 35 min |
| Sana'a | 5:33 | 18:35 | 13 h 02 min |
| Americas | |||
| City | Sunrise 20 June 2016 | Sunset 20 June 2016 | Length of the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inuvik | — | — | 24 h |
| Fairbanks | 2:57 | 0:47+ | 21 h 49 min |
| Nuuk | 2:53 | 0:03+ | 21 h 09 min |
| Iqaluit | 2:11 | 23:00 | 20 h 49 min |
| Anchorage | 4:20 | 23:41 | 19 h 21 min |
| Kodiak | 5:07 | 23:14 | 18 h 06 min |
| Sitka | 4:06 | 22:00 | 17 h 54 min |
| Unalaska | 6:34 | 23:41 | 17 h 06 min |
| Edmonton | 5:04 | 22:07 | 17 h 02 min |
| Winnipeg | 5:19 | 21:40 | 16 h 21 min |
| Vancouver | 5:06 | 21:21 | 16 h 14 min |
| Seattle | 5:11 | 21:10 | 15 h 59 min |
| Ottawa | 5:14 | 20:54 | 15 h 40 min |
| Toronto | 5:35 | 21:02 | 15 h 26 min |
| New York | 5:24 | 20:30 | 15 h 05 min |
| Washington, D.C. | 5:42 | 20:36 | 14 h 53 min |
| Los Angeles | 5:42 | 20:07 | 14 h 25 min |
| Miami | 6:30 | 20:14 | 13 h 44 min |
| Havana | 6:44 | 20:17 | 13 h 33 min |
| Honolulu | 5:50 | 19:16 | 13 h 25 min |
| Mexico City | 6:59 | 20:17 | 13 h 18 min |
| Managua | 5:21 | 18:11 | 12 h 50 min |
| Bogotá | 5:46 | 18:09 | 12 h 23 min |
| Quito | 6:12 | 18:19 | 12 h 06 min |
| Lima | 6:27 | 17:52 | 11 h 24 min |
| La Paz | 6:59 | 18:08 | 11 h 08 min |
| Rio de Janeiro | 6:32 | 17:16 | 10 h 43 min |
| São Paulo | 6:47 | 17:28 | 10 h 40 min |
| Porto Alegre | 7:20 | 17:32 | 10 h 12 min |
| Santiago | 7:46 | 17:42 | 9 h 56 min |
| Buenos Aires | 8:00 | 17:50 | 9 h 49 min |
| Ushuaia | 9:58 | 17:11 | 7 h 12 min |
| Asia and Oceania | |||
| City | Sunrise 20 June 2016 | Sunset 20 June 2016 | Length of the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provideniya | 0:52 | 22:16 | 21 h 23 min |
| Magadan | 3:37 | 22:19 | 18 h 41 min |
| Petropavlovsk | 4:58 | 21:55 | 16 h 56 min |
| Khabarovsk | 4:57 | 21:04 | 16 h 07 min |
| Ulaanbaatar | 5:52 | 21:54 | 16 h 01 min |
| Vladivostok | 5:32 | 20:55 | 15 h 22 min |
| Beijing | 4:45 | 19:46 | 15 h 00 min |
| Seoul | 5:11 | 19:56 | 14 h 46 min |
| Tokyo | 4:25 | 19:00 | 14 h 34 min |
| Shanghai | 4:50 | 19:01 | 14 h 10 min |
| Lhasa | 6:55 | 20:58 | 14 h 03 min |
| Delhi | 5:23 | 19:21 | 13 h 58 min |
| Kathmandu | 5:08 | 19:02 | 13 h 53 min |
| Taipei | 5:04 | 18:46 | 13 h 41 min |
| Hong Kong | 5:39 | 19:09 | 13 h 30 min |
| Manila | 5:27 | 18:27 | 12 h 59 min |
| Bangkok | 5:51 | 18:47 | 12 h 56 min |
| Singapore | 7:00 | 19:12 | 12 h 11 min |
| Jakarta | 6:01 | 17:47 | 11 h 45 min |
| Darwin | 7:06 | 18:29 | 11 h 23 min |
| Papeete | 6:27 | 17:32 | 11 h 04 min |
| Sydney | 6:59 | 16:53 | 9 h 53 min |
| Auckland | 7:33 | 17:11 | 9 h 37 min |
| Melbourne | 7:35 | 17:07 | 9 h 32 min |
| Dunedin | 8:19 | 16:59 | 8 h 39 min |
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
- ^ Astronomical Applications Department of USNO. "Earth's Seasons - Equinoxes, Solstices, Perihelion, and Aphelion". Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ "Solstices and Equinoxes: 2001 to 2100". AstroPixels.com. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ Équinoxe de printemps entre 1583 et 2999
- ^ Solstice d’été de 1583 à 2999
- ^ Équinoxe d’automne de 1583 à 2999
- ^ Solstice d’hiver
- ^ From the Latin aestīvus = summer.
- ^ "When does spring start?". from the original on 2016-11-25. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
- ^ "The June Solstice". Time and Date AS. from the original on 2012-02-04. Retrieved 2012-01-30.
- ^ "Solstice (astronomy)". Britannica Online Encyclopedia. from the original on 2011-06-25. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
- ^ "December Solstice". Time and Date AS. from the original on 2012-01-18. Retrieved 2012-01-30.
- ^ a b "The Long Story (USNO explanation)". from the original on 18 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ^ "US Naval Observatory: Sunrise and Sunset Times Near the Solstices". from the original on 18 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ^ "Full Moon and Winter Solstice coincide on the same day". The Old Farmer's Almanac. from the original on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "Full Moon and Summer Solstice coincide on the same day". The Old Farmer's Almanac. from the original on 22 June 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "Summer solstice celebrations of Christianity, Judaism, Neopaganism, etc". Religioustolerance.org. from the original on 2011-06-28. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
- ^ "The Astronomical vs. Meteorological Seasons". from the original on 2016-11-14. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
- ^ "Paikallissää Helsinki" [‘Local weather in Helsinki’] (in Finnish). Finnish Meteorological Institute. 2016-06-20. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
- ^ "Jamestown, Saint Helena". Retrieved 2016-06-22.
- ^ "Fairbanks". Retrieved 2016-06-22.
- ^ "Nuuk". Retrieved 2016-06-22.
- ^ "Iqaluit". Retrieved 2016-06-22.
- ^ "Sitka". Retrieved 2016-06-22.
- ^ "Unalaska". Retrieved 2016-06-22.
- ^ "Provideniya". Retrieved 2016-06-22.
- ^ "Katmandu". Retrieved 2016-06-22.
- ^ "Edmonton, Canada". Retrieved 2016-06-22.
- ^ "Inuvik, Canada". Retrieved 2020-12-19.
- ^ "Winnipeg, Canada". Retrieved 2021-07-31.
External links
- NeoProgrammics - Table of Northern/Southern Solstice Dates/Times From 1600–2400