Summer Solstice 2024: The solstice occurs twice in the year, and marks the change in seasons. Summer Solstice represents the longest day and shortest night in the northern hemisphere, indicating the end of winter and the beginning of summer while as the southern hemisphere experiences summer in December. People in northern hemisphere celebrate the summer solstice to recognize the arrival of summer, after enduring half a year of a cold and long winter.
The summer solstice happens when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. This is because the Earth's axis is tilted about 24 degrees relative to its orbit around the Sun and the northern hemisphere is tilted closest to the Sun on June 20. The opposite seasons are experienced in the two hemispheres as the days gradually tend to become shorter after the summer solstice.
Summer Solstice 2024 Date in India
In the northern hemisphere, 21 June is annually marked as the summer solstice. According to NASA, the summer solstice 2024 will appear globally on 20 June at 4:50 pm (EDT). In India, this year the summer solstice will be observed on 21 June 2024 at 8:09 pm IST.
What is the Meaning of Summer Solstice
The Summer Solstice marks the beginning of astronomical summer. It is the longest day in northern hemisphere while as the shortest day in southern hemisphere. On the occasion of Summer Solstice, the sun goes as high in the sky as it’s going to get for the year.
What is the Origin of Summer Solstice? Why and How Does It Occur?
In ancient Greece, the summer solstice was a time of renewal and growth. The sun reached its highest point in the sky on this day, which was also the longest day of the year.
This time of year, when the sun stops moving further north and is closest to the Earth's surface, was a time of celebration and honoring the sun's life-giving power. Many cultures still view the summer solstice as the "middle of summer" or a time of renewal and growth.
Eratosthenes, an ancient Greek scholar, was one of the first to measure the Earth's circumference. He did so by observing that on the summer solstice, sunlight shone directly down a well in Aswan, Egypt. He also noted that the shadows cast by obelisks were not vertical, which suggested that the sun was not directly overhead.
By calculating the difference in shadow lengths between the two cities, Eratosthenes was able to accurately estimate the Earth's circumference. The results of this experiment confirmed that the Earth is a sphere, not flat.
Why is Summer Solstice Longest Day of the Year?
The Earth revolves around its axis and as it revolves the days get longer for the Northern Hemisphere. The summer solstice happens when the Earth's North Pole reaches its highest point on the sun and it is tilted towards the sun. Because the Earth's axis is tilted towards the North Pole, the hemisphere gets more direct sunlight and experiences summer from March to September. That is why, summer solstice officially marks the arrival of astronomical summer and the longest day of the year.
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