The summer solstice and the many seasons are caused by Earth’s unbalanced tilt.
In the northern half of our globe, everyone will experience the summer solstice on Thursday. It marks the scientific beginning of summer and will be the longest day of the year north of the equator.
Twice every six months, in June and December, Earth experiences a solstice. The sun rises in the sky at the same time every day until it reaches its highest position in the run-up to the summer solstice.
Shorter days will follow the summer solstice. Up until the winter solstice on December 21, the sun will be progressively lower in the sky each day.
What time is the summer solstice this year?
The summer solstice falls on Thursday at 4:51 p.m. Eastern time, according to the National Weather Service. At this point in the day, the sun makes its yearly journey to the northernmost point of the sky.
Why do we have solstices?
Earth rotates on an axis that is tilted 23.5 degrees away from vertical, meaning that the sun’s position in the sky varies every day. This indicates that the hemispheres tilt either way toward or away from the sun based on the season.
Earth’s seasons are caused by this: summer occurs when the northern half of the planet leans toward the sun, while winter occurs when the southern half leans away from the sun. The reason behind Earth’s tilt is unknown, yet some astronomers assume that life originated because of the planet’s tilt.
The summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere occurs at the point where Earth is most tilted toward the sun. Despite this, it normally takes a few weeks for the sun’s rays to warm our globe, thus the warmest temperatures of the year happen around July or August.
Do other planets in our solar system have solstices?
Solstices occur on all tilted planets. Every planet in our solar system has an axial tilt, though some are more noticeable than others, according to NASA.
Mercury is very slightly skewed at 0.03 degrees, whereas Venus and Jupiter have only modest leans of about 3 degrees. However, because of Uranus’ extreme tilt of 97.8 degrees from vertical, one of its poles occasionally points directly toward the sun. Its seasons are among the most dramatic in our solar system due to its high tilt.
Both Neptune and Saturn have tilts that are similar to Earth’s. Mars tilts at 25.2 degrees as well, despite significant changes in tilt over millions of years on the red planet.
How do people celebrate the summer solstice?
Every year, people celebrate the June solstice with midsummer bonfires, festivals, and midnight sun festivities for those who live above the Arctic Circle. On the opposite side of the globe, Antarctic scientists celebrate the longest and darkest night of the year with an annual midwinter feast.
Some visit historic sites like Stonehenge in England or the Temple of the Sun in Peru in remembrance of the ancient peoples’ custom of welcoming the solstice sun.
