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Summer solstice

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For other uses, see Summer solstice (disambiguation).
Summer solstice
Sunrise at Stonehenge in England during the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere
Also calledMidsummer; the Longest Day; the Shortest Night; Estival solstice
Observed byVarious cultures
TypeCultural, astronomical
SignificanceBeginning of lengthening nights and shortening days
DateJune 20, June 21, or June 22
(Northern Hemisphere)
and December 20, December 21, December 22, or December 23
(Southern Hemisphere)
UT date and time of
equinoxes and solstices on Earth[1][2]
event equinox solstice equinox solstice
month March[3] June[4] September[5] December[6]
year day time day time day time day time
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
2029 20 08:01 21 01:48 22 17:37 21 14:14
Earth during the summer solstice in June 2017

The summer solstice or estival solstice[i] 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. At either pole there is continuous daylight at the time of its summer solstice. The opposite event is the winter solstice.

The summer solstice occurs during the hemisphere's summer. In the Northern Hemisphere, this is the June solstice (20, 21 or 22 June) and in the Southern Hemisphere, this is the December solstice (20, 21, 22 or 23 of December). Since prehistory, the summer solstice has been a significant time of year in many cultures, and has been marked by festivals and rituals. Traditionally, in 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.

On the summer solstice, Earth's maximum axial tilt toward the Sun is 23.44°.[7] Likewise, the Sun's declination from the celestial equator is 23.44°.

Diagram of Earth's seasons as seen from the north. Far left: summer solstice for the Northern Hemisphere. Front right: summer solstice for the Southern Hemisphere.

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.[8] This is because Earth orbits the Sun in an ellipse, and its orbital speed varies slightly during the year.[7]

Culture

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Main article: Midsummer
The solstice being celebrated at Stonehenge in England

There is evidence that the summer solstice has been culturally important since the Neolithic era. Many ancient monuments in Europe especially, as well as parts of the Middle East, Asia and the Americas, are aligned with the sunrise or sunset on the summer solstice (see archaeoastronomy).[9][10] The significance of 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 fertility.[11] In the Roman Empire, the traditional date of the summer solstice was 24 June.[12] In Germanic-speaking cultures, the time around the summer solstice is called 'midsummer'. Traditionally in northern Europe midsummer was reckoned as the night of 23–24 June, with summer beginning on May Day.[13] The summer solstice continues to be seen as the middle of summer in many European cultures, but in some cultures or calendars it is seen as summer's beginning.[14] In Sweden, midsummer is one of the year's major holidays when the country closes down as much as during Christmas.

Observances

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Traditional festivals
Modern observances

In folk music

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  • "Oh at Ivan, oh at Kupala" (Ukr. Ой на Івана, ой на Купала) - Ukrainian folk song.
  • "Kupalinka" - (Belar. Купалінка) - Belarusian folk song
  • "There is a lake behind the hill" (Lith. Už kalnelio ežerėlis) - Lithuanian folk song.

Length of the day on northern summer solstice

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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[15] as well as from certain other websites.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]

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
Russia Murmansk — — 24 h
Russia Apatity — — 24 h
Norway Bodø — — 24 h
Finland Rovaniemi — — 24 h
Sweden Luleå 1:00 0:05+ 23 h 04 min
Russia Arkhangelsk 1:34 23:04 21 h 30 min
Iceland Reykjavík 2:55 0:03+ 21 h 08 min
Norway Trondheim 3:02 23:37 20 h 35 min
Faroe Islands Tórshavn 3:36 23:21 19 h 45 min
Russia Petrozavodsk 2:55 22:33 19 h 38 min
Finland Helsinki 3:54 22:49 18 h 55 min
Russia Saint Petersburg 3:35 22:25 18 h 50 min
Norway Oslo 3:53 22:43 18 h 49 min
Estonia Tallinn 4:03 22:42 18 h 39 min
Sweden Stockholm 3:30 22:07 18 h 37 min
Latvia Riga 4:29 22:21 17 h 52 min
Denmark Copenhagen 4:25 21:57 17 h 32 min
Lithuania Vilnius 4:41 21:59 17 h 17 min
Europe
City Sunrise
20 June 2016 		Sunset
20 June 2016 		Length of the day
United Kingdom Edinburgh 4:26 22:02 17 h 36 min
Russia Moscow 3:44 21:17 17 h 33 min
Germany Berlin 4:43 21:33 16 h 49 min
Poland Warsaw 4:14 21:00 16 h 46 min
United Kingdom London 4:43 21:21 16 h 38 min
Ukraine Kyiv 4:46 21:12 16 h 26 min
France Paris 5:46 21:57 16 h 10 min
Austria Vienna 4:53 20:58 16 h 04 min
Hungary Budapest 4:46 20:44 15 h 58 min
Switzerland Zürich 5:29 21:25 15 h 56 min
Italy Rome 5:34 20:48 15 h 13 min
Spain Madrid 6:44 21:48 15 h 03 min
Portugal Lisbon 6:11 21:04 14 h 52 min
Greece Athens 6:02 20:50 14 h 48 min
Africa
City Sunrise
20 June 2016 		Sunset
20 June 2016 		Length of the day
Egypt Cairo 4:54 18:59 14 h 04 min
Spain Tenerife 7:08 21:05 13 h 57 min
Senegal Dakar 6:41 19:41 12 h 59 min
Ethiopia Addis Ababa 6:07 18:46 12 h 38 min
Kenya Nairobi 6:32 18:35 12 h 02 min
Democratic Republic of the Congo Kinshasa 6:04 17:56 11 h 52 min
Tanzania Dar es Salaam 6:32 18:16 11 h 43 min
Angola Luanda 6:20 17:56 11 h 36 min
Saint Helena Jamestown 6:49 17:59 11 h 10 min
Madagascar Antananarivo 6:21 17:21 10 h 59 min
Namibia Windhoek 6:30 17:15 10 h 44 min
South Africa Johannesburg 6:54 17:24 10 h 29 min
South Africa 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
Iran Tehran 5:48 20:23 14 h 34 min
Lebanon Beirut 5:27 19:52 14 h 24 min
Iraq Baghdad 4:53 19:14 14 h 21 min
Israel Jerusalem 5:33 19:47 14 h 13 min
Bahrain Manama 4:45 18:32 13 h 46 min
Qatar Doha 4:44 18:26 13 h 42 min
United Arab Emirates Dubai 5:29 19:11 13 h 42 min
Saudi Arabia Riyadh 5:04 18:44 13 h 39 min
Oman Muscat 5:19 18:55 13 h 35 min
Yemen Sana'a 5:33 18:35 13 h 02 min
Americas
City Sunrise
20 June 2016 		Sunset
20 June 2016 		Length of the day
Canada Inuvik — — 24 h
United States Fairbanks 2:57 0:47+ 21 h 49 min
Greenland Nuuk 2:53 0:03+ 21 h 09 min
Canada Iqaluit 2:11 23:00 20 h 49 min
United States Anchorage 4:20 23:41 19 h 21 min
United States Kodiak 5:07 23:14 18 h 06 min
United States Sitka 4:06 22:00 17 h 54 min
United States Unalaska 6:34 23:41 17 h 06 min
Canada Edmonton 5:04 22:07 17 h 02 min
Canada Winnipeg 5:19 21:40 16 h 21 min
Canada Vancouver 5:06 21:21 16 h 14 min
United States Seattle 5:11 21:10 15 h 59 min
Canada Ottawa 5:14 20:54 15 h 40 min
Canada Toronto 5:35 21:02 15 h 26 min
United States New York 5:24 20:30 15 h 05 min
United States Washington, D.C. 5:42 20:36 14 h 53 min
United States Los Angeles 5:42 20:07 14 h 25 min
United States Miami 6:30 20:14 13 h 44 min
Cuba Havana 6:44 20:17 13 h 33 min
United States Honolulu 5:50 19:16 13 h 25 min
Mexico Mexico City 6:59 20:17 13 h 18 min
Jamaica Kingston 5:32 18:45 13 h 13 min
Barbados Bridgetown 5:33 18:27 12 h 54 min
Nicaragua Managua 5:21 18:11 12 h 50 min
Trinidad and Tobago Port of Spain 5:45 18:30 12 h 45 min
Guyana Georgetown 5:38 18:09 12 h 31 min
Colombia Bogotá 5:46 18:09 12 h 23 min
Ecuador Quito 6:12 18:19 12 h 06 min
Peru Lima 6:27 17:52 11 h 24 min
Bolivia La Paz 6:59 18:08 11 h 08 min
Brazil Rio de Janeiro 6:32 17:16 10 h 43 min
Brazil São Paulo 6:47 17:28 10 h 40 min
Brazil Porto Alegre 7:20 17:32 10 h 12 min
Chile Santiago 7:46 17:42 9 h 56 min
Argentina Buenos Aires 8:00 17:50 9 h 49 min
Argentina 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
Russia Provideniya 0:52 22:16 21 h 23 min
Russia Magadan 3:37 22:19 18 h 41 min
Russia Petropavlovsk 4:58 21:55 16 h 56 min
Russia Khabarovsk 4:57 21:04 16 h 07 min
Mongolia Ulaanbaatar 5:52 21:54 16 h 01 min
Russia Vladivostok 5:32 20:55 15 h 22 min
China Beijing 4:45 19:46 15 h 00 min
South Korea Seoul 5:11 19:56 14 h 46 min
Japan Tokyo 4:25 19:00 14 h 34 min
China Shanghai 4:50 19:01 14 h 10 min
China Lhasa 6:55 20:58 14 h 03 min
India Delhi 5:23 19:21 13 h 58 min
Nepal Kathmandu 5:08 19:02 13 h 53 min
Taiwan Taipei 5:04 18:46 13 h 41 min
Hong Kong Hong Kong 5:39 19:09 13 h 30 min
Philippines Manila 5:27 18:27 12 h 59 min
Thailand Bangkok 5:51 18:47 12 h 56 min
Singapore Singapore 7:00 19:12 12 h 11 min
Indonesia Jakarta 6:01 17:47 11 h 45 min
Australia Darwin 7:06 18:29 11 h 23 min
French Polynesia Papeete 6:27 17:32 11 h 04 min
Australia Sydney 6:59 16:53 9 h 53 min
New Zealand Auckland 7:33 17:11 9 h 37 min
Australia Melbourne 7:35 17:07 9 h 32 min
New Zealand Dunedin 8:19 16:59 8 h 39 min

The 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.

Notes

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  1. ^ Also aestival solstice in British English. From Latin aestīvus, 'summer'.

References

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  1. ^ Astronomical Applications Department of USNO. "Earth's Seasons - Equinoxes, Solstices, Perihelion, and Aphelion". Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  2. ^ "Solstices and Equinoxes: 2001 to 2100". AstroPixels.com. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  3. ^ Équinoxe de printemps entre 1583 et 2999
  4. ^ Solstice d’été de 1583 à 2999
  5. ^ Équinoxe d’automne de 1583 à 2999
  6. ^ Solstice d’hiver
  7. ^ a b "The Long Story (USNO explanation)". Archived from the original on 18 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  8. ^ "US Naval Observatory: Sunrise and Sunset Times Near the Solstices". Archived from the original on 18 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  9. ^ Papadopoulos, Costas; Moyes, Holley, eds. (2021). The Oxford Handbook of Light in Archaeology. Oxford University Press.
  10. ^ Kelley, David; Milone, Eugene (2005). Exploring Ancient Skies: An Encyclopedic Survey of Archaeoastronomy. Springer Publishing.
  11. ^ "Summer solstice celebrations of Christianity, Judaism, Neopaganism, etc". Religioustolerance.org. Archived from the original on 2011-06-28. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
  12. ^ O'Neill, William Matthew (1976). Time and the Calendars. Manchester University Press. p. 85.
  13. ^ Harper, Douglas. "midsummer". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  14. ^ "The Astronomical vs. Meteorological Seasons". Archived from the original on 2016-11-14. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
  15. ^ "Paikallissää Helsinki" [Local weather in Helsinki] (in Finnish). Finnish Meteorological Institute. 2016-06-20. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
  16. ^ "Jamestown, Saint Helena". Retrieved 2016-06-22.
  17. ^ "Fairbanks". Retrieved 2016-06-22.
  18. ^ "Nuuk". Retrieved 2016-06-22.
  19. ^ "Iqaluit". Retrieved 2016-06-22.
  20. ^ "Sitka". Retrieved 2016-06-22.
  21. ^ "Unalaska". Retrieved 2016-06-22.
  22. ^ "Provideniya". Retrieved 2016-06-22.
  23. ^ "Katmandu". Retrieved 2016-06-22.
  24. ^ "Edmonton, Canada". Retrieved 2016-06-22.
  25. ^ "Inuvik, Canada". Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  26. ^ "Winnipeg, Canada". Retrieved 2021-07-31.
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