The summer solstice in 2021 falls on the classic date of June 21st. The moment, because the solstice is really a matter of a moment, is at 5 and 31 in the morning Italian time. June 21st it is the brightest day of 2021, from the following day the days will already begin to gradually shorten until the winter solstice of 21 December, the shortest day there is.
The astronomical summer officially begins, the meteorological one has already started at the beginning of the month. On the longest day of the year the sun rises at 5:37 am and sets at 8:51 pm.
The day lasts 15 hours and 14 minutes. In the areas between the Arctic Circle and the North Pole it will not set and it will be possible to see the midnight Sun.
SOLSTICE
The word solstice comes from the Latin “solis statio”, sun and to stop. In astronomy it is the moment when the Sun reaches the point of maximum (summer) or minimum (winter) declination with respect to the Earth. It is that moment in which the star reaches the highest point with respect to the horizon and thus brings the greatest number of hours of light.
The summer solstice is the longest day there is and consequently the shortest night, that is, the day with the most hours of light. The opposite for the winter. June and December are the solstice months for summer and winter in the Northern Hemisphere. The whole is reversed if we talk about the southern hemisphere.
At the height of the polar circles on summer days the sun remains constantly above the horizon and there is light even in hours when it would be night. It is the phenomenon of the midnight sun. In locations along the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, the Sun is at Zenith, perpendicular to local noon. Blazing sun and no shade.
TO DATE
Each year the solstice falls at a different time and therefore can arrive, as well as the equinoxes, on different dates. It depends on the displacement of the axis around which the Earth rotates. The shift causes a setback of 6 hours each year which is reset to zero with leap years.
THE TRADITIONS
The winter solstices, as in the summer, have always been considered sacred. Sol Invictus is celebrated, which is reborn from darkness in the cold station and there is the pagan festival Litha, one of the eight Saturdays of the summer solstice. Bede the Venerable and Tolkien write about it in The Lord of the Rings. There are solar cults from the North Pole to Polynesia, via Africa, Indonesia and South America. The ancient Romans linked this anniversary with the two-faced god Janus and according to tradition one had to bathe in natural water currents and jump on lit fires to purify oneself.
STONEHENGE
The monolithic stones of the British site of Stonehenge would be a kind of calendar as well as a temple. The axis of the monument is oriented so that on the summer solstice the sun rises above the central Heel Stone. This year it will not happen, but usually thousands of people gather on the site for the occasion and in Sweden it was also thought to officially institute the Midsummer party. There is also a Stonehenge older than a thousand years. It is Nabta Playa, in Egypt, which has a site with monoliths aligned in the direction of sunrise on the date of the solstice.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
