Summer Solstice: The world will witness the Summer Solstice 2024 on Tuesday, June 21, 2024. The summer solstice also called the June solstice is the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere. This day also marks the onset of the winter in the Southern Hemisphere and summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
The summer solstice occurs twice every year – the first one on June 20 or 21 and the second one on December 21 or 22. The event indicates the sky farthest north in the Northern Hemisphere in June and farthest south in the Southern Hemisphere in December. The word “Solstice” originates from the two Latin words “Sol” and “Sistere”, which means Sun and Stand Still. The summer solstice 2024 will appear on June 21, at 9.14 UTC.
During this June solstice, the north pole is tipped directly toward the Sun. This causes the day to be shorter in the Southern Hemisphere. The sun reaches its northernmost position at the Tropic of Cancer, reversing direction towards the south side from thereon. The Sun continues its movement towards the South Pole, reaching its southernmost position in December. Hence, the day of June solstice is shorter than 12 hours in the entire Southern Hemisphere and longer than 12 hours in the entire Northern Hemisphere.
Several countries in the Northern Hemisphere, including Finland, Sweden, Spain, the US, Norway, etc., celebrate the Summer Solstice every year like a festival. The first summer solstice of the year is also called the Midsummer First Day of Summer.
