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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Learn More in these related Britannica articles: In the Northern Hemisphere the summer solstice occurs on June 20 or 21 and the winter solstice on December 21 or The situation is exactly the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are reversed. Although banned in as a result of violent clashes with police, the annual gathering resumed in and now draws a crowd of more than 30, Modern-day Druidic societies have claimed Stonehenge as their own temple, even though the identification of Stonehenge….
Great fires were lit on the hills to ward off evil spirits who might threaten health and fertility. The temperature contrast between….
The summer solstice, the northernmost point reached by the Sun in its annual apparent journey among the stars, lies in Gemini. This constellation also contains the isolated pulsar Geminga. Stonehenge in the 21st century.
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At the bottom of the article, feel free to list any sources that support your changes, so that we can fully understand their context. Today, however, in some countries and calendars it is seen as the beginning of summer. 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. 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 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.
The summer solstice (or estival solstice), also known as midsummer, occurs when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. It happens twice. A solstice is an event occurring when the Sun appears to reach its most northerly or southerly When it is the summer solstice at one Pole, it is the winter solstice on the other. The Sun's westerly motion never ceases as Earth is continually in.
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. In other cultural conventions, the solstice is closer to the middle of summer.
Solstice is derived from the Latin words sol sun and sistere to stand still. The following tables contain information on the length of the day on the summer solstice of the northern hemisphere and winter solstice of the southern hemisphere i.
The data was collected from the website of the Finnish Meteorological Institute on 20 June [11] as well as from certain other websites. The data is arranged geographically and within the tables from the longest day to the shortest one. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. For other uses, see Summer solstice disambiguation.
Equinoxes, Solstices, Perihelion, and Aphelion". Retrieved 18 September Time and Date AS.
Summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere occurs on June 20, 21 or 22 , when the sun reaches its most northerly point, directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer 23 degrees 27 minutes north latitude. Retrieved June 2, That is the polar night. In Vancouver, Canada, the Secret Lantern Society honors winter solstice with processions , music, and artistic performances in four locations around the city, two of which feature Labyrinths of Light. The Essential Guide to Practical Astrology. This article is about the astronomical event. Astronomers can calculate an exact moment for the solstice, when Earth reaches the point in its orbit where the North Pole is angled closest to the sun.
Sunrise and Sunset Times Near the Solstices". Retrieved 21 June