CNN
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Do you long for long days and short nights? Then this could be the best day of the year for you and your fellow sunlight seekers.
The summer solstice will fall later that day in the United States on Friday, June 20th (already will be Saturday, June 21st in Europe). It is the longest and shortest night in the Northern Hemisphere. It is also the first official day of summer.
Our ancient ancestors certainly noted each year’s occasions. Some of their monuments were aligned to accurately mark the lights of summer bliss (see your Stonehenge).
The pagan celebrations of that day continue to the present day. Events include gatherings in Stonehenge, England, a celebration of the end of the Swedish summer, and an Ivankparanight in parts of Eastern Europe.
Mirror images of the winter solstice, summer solstice, are historically linked to the fertility (both plant and human varieties) of destinations around the world.
Blissful science and its traditions have captivated people for thousands of years.
Is it a summer solstice all over the world? no. It is only in the Northern Hemisphere, where almost 90% of the world’s population lives. People south of the equator in places such as Chile, South Africa, Australia and other places spend the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year.
When exactly is the summer solstice in 2025? It will fall at 3:42am in London on June 21st. It’s 7:42pm in Los Angeles and 10:42pm in New York City on Friday, June 20th. It will occur in Tokyo at 11:42am on June 21st.
Who gets the most sunlight?? The difference between how much sunlight can become so dramatic as you get closer to the poles and farther from the equator. In the capital of Quito, Ecuadorian capital, which is almost north of the equator, people rarely notice any difference. They get 6 and a half minutes of extra extra during the day.
However, residents of Finland’s Northlee Helsinki gain a sunrise at 3:54am and nearly 19 hours of sunlight. Even at night it doesn’t get that dark. Residents of Fairbanks in central Alaska can smirk in 19 hours. They have almost 22 hours of daylight and may have curtains in place due to the blackout.
Why don’t you get exposed to 12 hours of sunlight all year round? People across the planet actually got roughly equivalent day and night doses at the spring equinox three months ago. However, the amount of sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere has since increased daily. This is because the Earth lines up on an axis, the imaginary pole that passes through the center of our planet. However, this axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees.
“When the Earth orbits the Sun (once every year), its tilted axis always points in the same direction. Therefore, throughout the year, various parts of the Earth acquire the direct rays of the Sun,” explains NASA. When the sun reaches the peak of the Northern Hemisphere, it is the summer solstice. The days then begin to shorten again until you reach a 12-hour day/night split at the autumn equinox.
Is this the hottest time of the year? Generally, it’s not.
“On average, the majority of the US experience the warmest temperatures in July or early August,” says Taylorward, senior weather producer at CNN.
“The amount of energy from the sun continues to be greater than the amount of energy lost during the night, so temperatures continue to rise essentially after the summer solstice, so this is a buildup of warmth until the sunlight is shorter the more changes it becomes,” Ward says. Due to the timing of the cloudy monsoon season in July and August, “the only area that actually sees the warmest temperatures in June, and coincides with the longest sunlight of the year is part of the Southwest.”
The same general temperature pattern applies to places such as Japan and most of Europe.
What does Stonehenge have to do with the summer solstice? The ancient stones of the monument in southwestern England date to about 2500 BC, and their makers were astronomically consistent.
The central axis of Stonehenge is The summer solstice and sunsets of winter solstice and sunsets allow stones to accurately surround the longest and shortest merry and sunk days. And it still functions like modern clockwork.
The British Heritage Society holds gatherings at Stonehenge for the summer solstice and produces live streams of the sunrise.
What are the other cultural traditions surrounding the summer solstice? In Sweden, late-midsummer celebrations are tied to bliss, and are held constantly on Fridays landing between June 19th and June 25th.
In Ukraine and several other places in Eastern Europe, the summer solstice is connected to the night of Ivan Kupala. People dance, place wreaths of flowers on the water, and gather around the bonfire.
In India, the birthplace of ancient yoga practices, the summer solstice is traditionally celebrated in large yoga sessions around the country. And the UN International Yoga Day falls on June 21st every year.