As old as time itself!
The point at which the sun reaches its farthest point north of the equator is the Summer Solstice, well it is for the Northern Hemisphere. This occurs annually on June 20 or June 21, depending on your time zone.
Here in Southern Oregon, the moment of the Summer Solstice will be at 2:43 PM or 14:43 PDT on Saturday, i.e. today! For the United Kingdom it will be at 22:43 BST on the same day or 21:43 GMT/UTC.
A quick web ‘look-up’ finds that the word solstice is from the Latin solstitium, from sol (sun) and stitium (to stop), reflecting the fact that the Sun appears to stop at this time, albeit momentarily.
At the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge in Southern England, the prehistoric monument that took Neolithic builders an estimated 1,500 years to erect, for many years the Druids have celebrated the Solstice and, undoubtedly, will be doing so again.
There’s a good article over at EarthSky on this year’s Solstice. I would like to quote a little from it:
At the June solstice, Earth is positioned in its orbit so that our world’s North Pole is leaning most toward the sun. As seen from Earth, the sun is directly overhead at noon 23 1/2 degrees north of the equator, at an imaginary line encircling the globe known as the Tropic of Cancer – named after the constellation Cancer the Crab. This is as far north as the sun ever gets.
All locations north of the equator have days longer than 12 hours at the June solstice. Meanwhile, all locations south of the equator have days shorter than 12 hours.
and
Where should I look to see signs of the solstice in nature? Everywhere. For all of Earth’s creatures, nothing is so fundamental as the length of the day. After all, the sun is the ultimate source of almost all light and warmth on Earth’s surface.
If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you might notice the early dawns and late sunsets, and the high arc of the sun across the sky each day. You might see how high the sun appears in the sky at local noon. And be sure to look at your noontime shadow. Around the time of the solstice, it’s your shortest noontime shadow of the year.
If you’re a person who’s tuned in to the out-of-doors, you know the peaceful, comforting feeling that accompanies these signs and signals of the year’s longest day.
Is the solstice the first day of summer? No world body has designated an official day to start each new season, and different schools of thought or traditions define the seasons in different ways.
In meteorology, for example, summer begins on June 1. And every schoolchild knows that summer starts when the last school bell of the year rings.
Yet June 21 is perhaps the most widely recognized day upon which summer begins in the Northern Hemisphere and upon which winter begins on the southern half of Earth’s globe. There’s nothing official about it, but it’s such a long-held tradition that we all recognize it to be so.
It has been universal among humans to treasure this time of warmth and light.
For us in the modern world, the solstice is a time to recall the reverence and understanding that early people had for the sky. Some 5,000 years ago, people placed huge stones in a circle on a broad plain in what’s now England and aligned them with the June solstice sunrise.
We may never comprehend the full significance of Stonehenge. But we do know that knowledge of this sort wasn’t limited to just one part of the world. Around the same time Stonehenge was being constructed in England, two great pyramids and then the Sphinx were built on Egyptian sands. If you stood at the Sphinx on the summer solstice and gazed toward the two pyramids, you’d see the sun set exactly between them.
How does it end up hotter later in the summer, if June has the longest day? People often ask:
If the June solstice brings the longest day, why do we experience the hottest weather in late July and August?
This effect is called the lag of the seasons. It’s the same reason it’s hotter in mid-afternoon than at noontime. Earth just takes a while to warm up after a long winter. Even in June, ice and snow still blanket the ground in some places. The sun has to melt the ice – and warm the oceans – and then we feel the most sweltering summer heat.
Ice and snow have been melting since spring began. Meltwater and rainwater have been percolating down through snow on tops of glaciers.
But the runoff from glaciers isn’t as great now as it’ll be in another month, even though sunlight is striking the northern hemisphere most directly around now.
So wait another month for the hottest weather. It’ll come when the days are already beginning to shorten again, as Earth continues to move in orbit around the sun, bringing us closer to another winter.
And so the cycle continues.
Indeed, so the cycle continues as it has for time immemorial!
Great article. I forgot exactly when the Summer Solstice began. Also, 5 planets are in retrograde so lock your doors, lol.
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Don’t understand your claim, Susan, that there are five planets in retrograde? Please explain more.
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Several planets are in retrograde. This is an astrological term which basically cautions people to be careful. At this particular time, if you are inclined to believe this, communicating with others will be difficult during this time. Sudden life decisions should not be made during this period.
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I must do more research into this aspect of our solar system. Thanks Susan.
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Ah, it’s an astrological happening and one which I will leave to others to follow.
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My pleasure!
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Love this post, opposite for me though – it will be the shortest day where I am tomorrow 👌😊
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Ah Kellie, South of the Equator! Where are you exactly?
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Australia – I just read an article saying it will be the longest night here tomorrow, I like putting it that way 😊
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I thought so. That’s a long way from Southern Oregon! In 1968 I went out to Sydney on a ten pound ‘POM’ ticket and loved the country. So long ago! I’m British and so is Jeannie my wife and how we both came together is a delightful story, we met in Mexico!
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Oh wow about the 10 pound ticket! That sounds like a great story, meeting in Mexico but both being British (and throw in Oregon). Makes the world seem small!
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Yes, it’s quite a story. But anyway back to you! Welcome to this place!
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Lovely post,,,i loved while reading
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Thanks Deepak. It’s the most ancient ceremony of all, me thinks!
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Social distancing during summer solstice is going to look mighty peculiar.
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Well I don’t know about that but I do know that I want to welcome you to this place. And we hope to see you again!
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I used to live in Amesbury. I find it strange that the largest religion in the UK, paganism, is constantly misinterpreted, demonized and ignored. You are right. Today is the longest day – one of the very real facts around right now. Happy solstice and thank you.
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Bit late in replying to you, Samantha. Cycling and then shopping sort of took the morning up.
Amesbury is an incredible place. I used to live near Totnes in South Devon and very regularly travelled up to London on the A313. Amesbury was a rest stop for me. I totally agree with your view on paganism. Pagans look to the natural world, from the tiniest flower to the grand rock formations of, say, Utah for their inspiration. Pagans take note of the Solstice, both the Summer and Winter ones. It’s a very special day!
Gracious, I could go on and on!
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Summer Solstice is always a special day… More so in our household as it’s hubby’s day he chose to be born. 🙂
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Oh what fun! That makes it the special day of the year! Happy Birthday to hubby!
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I will pass that along Paul thank you 🙂
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