ORLANDO, Fla. – Ever wondered why summer kicks off with the longest day of the year? It’s all thanks to the summer solstice, a super cool astronomical event that marks the official start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
On June 20 at 4:51 p.m. EDT, the sun hits its peak, giving us the most daylight hours of any day in the year. Orlando, for instance, is set to enjoy about 14 hours of sunlight that day.
Now, the science behind this solar extravaganza is pretty neat. You see, the Earth isn’t standing straight up as it orbits the sun. It’s tilted at about 23.5 degrees. This tilt is what gives us our seasons. When the Northern Hemisphere leans closest to the sun, we get the summer solstice.
It’s like Earth throwing a summer party for the North Pole, with the sun shining directly overhead.
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But here’s the twist: while we’re soaking up the rays in the north, folks in the Southern Hemisphere are experiencing their winter solstice, where they get the least sunlight of the year.
And get this — the word “solstice” comes from the Latin word, solstitium — sol (sun) and stitium (still or stopped). It’s that magical moment when the sun seems to pause before heading back on its journey across our sky.
The summer solstice isn’t fixed to a specific date, but usually falls between June 20 and 22. It’s nature’s way of reminding us that our little blue planet is always on the move, dancing through the seasons as it orbits the sun.
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