On Tuesday, we will see the summer solstice or June solstice, that is, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere. The June solstice also marks the beginning of the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere and the winter season in the Southern Hemisphere. For people in North America, this celestial event occurs at 10:32 p.m. CDT (UTC-5) on June 20, while for the rest, it usually occurs at 03:32 UTC on June 21, 2021.
This year, the June solstice is expected to fall on Tuesday, June 21, 2022 at 9:14 UTC (4:14 AM CDT) and is caused by Earth’s tilt on its axis and its motion in orbit around the Sun.
Why are the days longer in the Northern Hemisphere and shorter in the Southern Hemisphere?
On the day of the June solstice, the North Pole is tilted directly toward the Sun, and the South Pole is more directly away from the Sun. Hence the days are longer in the Northern Hemisphere and shorter in the Southern Hemisphere.
interesting fact:
The word “solstice” comes from the Latin words “sol” (ie sun) and “sister” (ie still). It happens twice a year. In the Northern Hemisphere, it occurs in June and in the Southern Hemisphere, it occurs in December.
A few thousand years ago, the solstice occurred when the Sun was in Cancer (Latin for crab) and that is how the line of latitude, the Tropic of Cancer, was named.
At the June solstice, the Sun reaches its northernmost position, reaches the Tropic of Cancer and remains stationary before reversing direction and moving south again.
Midsummer Night festivities are held in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland during the summer solstice.
Based on Earth’s current orbit, the summer solstice date falls between June 20, 21 and 22 and is not fixed as it depends on the physics of our solar system and not the human calendar.