Prepare yourself for the longest day of the year. Summer Solstice takes place the evening of June 20th. The first official day of summer in the northern hemisphere is Monday, June 21st. A day where we will enjoy 16 hours and 38 minutes of daylight. It will not be the hottest day of the year and yet the earth will be the farthest from the sun.
June solstice takes place at the exact instant of time all over the world when the sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Cancer. For the Pacific time zone that will be Sunday evening, June 20th at 8:32 p.m. (June 21 at 03:32 UTC).
As the year progresses, each day will shorten until winter solstice on December 2nd—this will be the shortest day of the year at 13-hours, 46-minutes, and 41-seconds. With that in mind, summer begins on Monday with almost three extra hours of daylight. How many times have you ever caught yourself asking for more hours in the day? With all this extra time next week, take a moment to feel the sun on your skin and enjoy the earth’s axis at it reaches maximum tilt.
Happy Solstice to all.