The summer solstice, which falls on June 21 this year, marks the beginning of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere. This phenomenon occurs when the Earth’s upper half is tilted most extremely towards the sun, resulting in the longest day and shortest night of the year.

Understanding the Earth’s Orbit

As the Earth travels around the sun, it does so at an angle, causing the sun’s warmth and light to fall unequally on the northern and southern halves of the planet for most of the year. The solstices mark the times when the Earth is tipped most extremely either towards or away from the sun.

The summer solstice is a significant event that has been celebrated by people around the world for centuries. In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice falls between June 20 and 22, while the winter solstice falls between December 20 and 23.

Equinoxes and Solstices

In addition to the solstices, the Earth also experiences equinoxes, which occur when the Earth’s tilt is neither towards nor away from the sun. This results in both the northern and southern hemispheres receiving an equal amount of sunlight, with the sun rising almost exactly due east and setting almost exactly due west.

Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.