![]() If you like sleeping in, that’s arguably the most exciting day of the summer. If you live in Washington, DC, the latest sunsets will start the day after the solstice, the 22nd. Just because June 21 is the longest day of the year for the Northern Hemisphere doesn’t mean every location has its earliest sunrise or latest sunset on that day. We are one of the sunniest cities in Canada, and this shows it nicely.Posted by Ian Hennes on Saturday, Decem3) Is the solstice the latest sunset of the year? This is a 6 month pinhole photo taken from solstice to solstice, in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Alaska-based climatologist Brian Brettschneider created this terrific guide (click to see some charts): The northernmost latitudes will see an entire 24 hours of sunlight, while most of the US will see anywhere between 14 and 16 hours. The farther north you are, the more sunlight you’ll see during the solstice. 2) How many hours of sunlight will I get on the 21st? This “results in the land covered by sunlight having greater area than the land covered by darkness,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explains. That’s because our atmosphere bends sunlight a bit, essentially stretching it over a slightly greater area of land. NASA/ Meteosat/ Robert SimmonĪ fun fact about the terminator: It’s not the case that it splits the Earth into even halves of light and dark. In the video, you can see how the line separating day from night (called the terminator) swings back and forth from the poles during the year. Here’s a time-lapse demonstration of the phenomenon shot over the course of a whole year from space. For the other half of the year, the South Pole gets more light. The tilt - possibly caused by a massive object hitting Earth billions of years ago - means that for half the year, the North Pole is pointed toward the sun (as in the picture below). The summer and winter solstices, the seasons, and the changing length of daylight hours throughout the year are all due to one fact: Earth spins on a tilted axis. 1) Why do we have a summer solstice, anyway? If you’re a fan of sunlight, wearing shorts, eating ice cream, and enjoying all summer has to offer, this is likely a big day for you.īelow is a short scientific guide to the longest day of the year. This will occur at exactly 10:57 am Eastern Wednesday. Technically speaking, the summer solstice occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer, or 23.5 degrees north latitude. The summer solstice is upon us: Wednesday, June 21, is the longest day of 2023, and the start of the summer season, for anyone living north of the equator. ![]()
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