The summer solstice occurs exactly when the Earth's and the moon's[clarification needed] axial tilt is most inclined towards the sun, at its maximum of 23° 26'. The summer solstice occurs in June in the Northern Hemisphere north of the Tropic of Cancer (23°26'N) and in December in the Southern Hemisphere south of the Tropic of Capricorn (23°26'S. The Sun reaches its highest position in the sky on the day of the summer solstice. For the northern hemisphere this year solstice will occur June 21 at 5.16 PM UTC. This is also the longest day. For millenia it has been celebrated as a key event of the seasons.
The summer solstice occurs exactly when the Earth's and the moon's[clarification needed] axial tilt is most inclined towards the sun, at its maximum of 23° 26'. The summer solstice occurs in June in the Northern Hemisphere north of the Tropic of Cancer (23°26'N) and in December in the Southern Hemisphere south of the Tropic of Capricorn (23°26'S. The Sun reaches its highest position in the sky on the day of the summer solstice. For the northern hemisphere this year solstice will occur June 21 at 5.16 PM UTC. This is also the longest day. For millenia it has been celebrated as a key event of the seasons.
!ADVERTISEMENT!
The exact moment of summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere is also the exact moment of winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. So in the north is is the longest day but in the south it is the shortest day due to the axial tilt of the Earth. Between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, the highest sun position does not occur at the summer solstice, since the sun reaches the zenith here and it does so at different times of the year depending on the latitude of the observer.
The cause of the seasons is that the Earth's axis of rotation is not perpendicular to its orbital plane (the flat plane made through the center of mass (barycenter) of the solar system (near or within the Sun) and the successive locations of Earth during the year), but currently makes an angle of about 23.44°, and that the axis keeps its orientation with respect to an inertial frame of reference. As a consequence, for half the year (from around 20 March to 22 September) the northern hemisphere is inclined toward the Sun, with the maximum around 21 June, while for the other half year the southern hemisphere has this distinction, with the maximum around 21 December. The two moments when the inclination of Earth's rotational axis has maximum effect are the solstices.
UTC stands for "Coordinated Universal Time" and it is the standard that all global clocks set themselves by. London England is the where UTC "begins". 5:16 PM in London is 12:16 PM in New York City as an example.
The solstices, together with the equinoxes, are connected with the seasons. In some languages they are considered to start or separate the seasons; in others they are considered to be center points (in England, in the Northern hemisphere, for example, the period around the June solstice is known as midsummer, and Midsummer's Day is 24 June, about three days after the solstice itself).
For further information: http://news.discovery.com/space/what-happens-at-the-summer-solstice-110621.html#mkcpgn=rssnws1 or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solstice
Photo: http://www.twotsi.com/pdata/APP-1277129806-summer-solstice-stonehenge.jpg
