All You Need To Know About Summer And Winter Solstice

June 20 to June 21 begins summer In the Northern Hemisphere. The night of June 20 to the morning of June 21 is a very important time for our planet. On June 20 and 21, one of the two solstices happens when the sun's rays hit one of the two tropical latitude lines directly. The 21st of June is the first day of summer in the northern hemisphere and the first day of winter in the southern hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, summer starts on Friday, June 20, 2020, at 5:43 p.m. EDT. This is the date of the summer solstice.

 

The earth spins around its axis, which is an imaginary line that goes through the planet from north to south. The plane of the earth's rotation around the sun is a little bit off from the plane of the axis. The tilt of the Earth's axis is 23.5 degrees, which is why we have all four seasons. During a few months of the year, one side of the earth gets more direct sunlight than the other.

 

When the axis tilts toward the sun, which it does between June and September, it is summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern hemisphere. When the axis points away from the sun, from December to March, the summer months in the southern hemisphere enjoys direct rays of the sun.

 

In the Northern Hemisphere, June 21 is the summer solstice. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is the winter solstice. The solstices change around December 21, and winter starts in the northern hemisphere.

 

On June 21, there is 24 hours of daylight north of the Arctic Circle (66.5° north of the equator) and 24 hours of darkness south of the Antarctic Circle (66.5° south of the equator). On June 21, the Tropic of Cancer (the line of latitude at 23.5° north that goes through Mexico, Saharan Africa, and India) is right in the middle of the sun's rays.

 

We wouldn't have seasons if the earth's axis didn't tilt. All year long, the sun's rays would shine right over the equator. As the earth goes around the sun in a slightly elliptical path, there would be only a small change. On July 3, the earth is the farthest from the sun. This is called the aphelion, and it is 94,555,000 miles away. On January 4, when the earth is only 91,445,000 miles from the sun, the perihelion happens.

 

When it's summer in one hemisphere, it's because that hemisphere gets more direct sunlight than the other hemisphere, where it's winter. In the winter, the sun's rays hit the earth at odd angles, so there is less of it.

 

During the spring and fall, the earth's axis is tilted, so the weather is the same in both hemispheres and the sun is directly above the equator. Between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° latitude south), there aren't really any seasons because the sun is always high in the sky, so it's warm and humid ("tropical") all year long. Seasons only happen in the high latitudes north and south of the tropics. 

 

December 21-22 In the Northern Hemisphere, winter starts on Solstice. The 21st or 22nd of December is a very important time for our planet. On December 21, one of two solstices, the sun's rays hit one of the two tropical latitude lines directly. On December 21, 2018, at exactly 5:23 p.m. EST (22:23 UTC), winter starts in the Northern Hemisphere, while summer starts in the Southern Hemisphere.

 

The earth spins around its axis, which is an imaginary line that goes through the planet from north to south. The plane of the earth's rotation around the sun is a little bit off from the plane of the axis. The tilt of the Earth's axis is 23.5 degrees, which is why we have all four seasons. During a few months of the year, one half of the planet gets more direct sunlight than the other.

 

The axis of the earth always points to the same place in space. Because of where the earth is in relation to the sun, the southern hemisphere gets direct sunlight from December to March, when the axis is pointing away from the sun. When the axis tilts toward the sun, as it does between June and September, it is summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern hemisphere.

 

In the Northern Hemisphere, December 21 is called the winter solstice. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is called the summer solstice. The solstices switch places on June 21, and summer starts in the northern hemisphere.

 

On December 21, there is 24 hours of daylight south of the Antarctic Circle (66.5° south of the equator) and 24 hours of darkness north of the Arctic Circle (66.5° north of the equator). On December 21, the Tropic of Capricorn (the line of latitude at 23.5° south that goes through Brazil, South Africa, and Australia) is right in the middle of the sun's rays.