This year’s summer solstice falls on Wednesday at 5:58 p.m. June 21 is the longest day of the year and marks the beginning of the astronomical summer. The duration of the day will be 15 h 32 min, and the night will be only 8 h 28 min.

According to the information on the website of the Vasile Urshanu Astronomical Observatory, on June 21, the astronomical longitude of the Sun is 90°. This is the time of the summer solstice, which marks the beginning of the astronomical summer.

The Earth performs both an annual rotation around the Sun and a daily rotation around the axis of the Earth’s poles. The axis of the poles maintains (in the first approximation) a fixed position in space, it is inclined to the plane of the Earth’s orbit (called the plane of the ecliptic) at 66° 33′. Due to this phenomenon, the two hemispheres of the Earth are unevenly illuminated by the Sun during the year, which causes the inequality of days and nights, as well as the change of seasons in the middle latitudes.

For an earthly observer, the phenomenon materializes in the celestial sphere due to the visible annual movement of the Sun along the ecliptic by approximately 1° per day, the plane of the ecliptic is inclined to the plane of the celestial equator by 23° 27′. At the summer solstice, the Sun will be at 23° 27′ north angular distance from the celestial equator, which describes a diurnal motion in a circle parallel to the equator called the Tropic of Cancer.

The name Solstice (“The Sun stands”) is connected with the fact that on this day the gradient of the Sun’s movement changes in relation to its inclinations. The Sun is at its culmination (for the average latitude of our country) at 67°. 52′ above the horizon, the duration of the day will have the greatest value in the year, namely 15 hours 32 minutes, the duration of the night is only 8 hours 28 minutes. For the same reason, twilight has the longest duration of the year, and in high latitudes twilight lasts all night, the inhabitants of the corresponding regions witness beautiful “white nights”.

After the summer solstice, the length of the day will begin to decrease and the length of the night will increase for 6 months, until December 21, the time of the winter solstice. It is obvious that in the southern hemisphere of the Earth the phenomenon occurs in the opposite direction.

The summer solstice has long been associated with the gathering of the first crops. The lights begin to light for Sanziena’s night. They are made on the slopes, at the highest place, near stagnant bodies of water, to get rid of diseases and troubles. Domestic animals are let through the fire for purification, and lighted torches are carried across the fields to scare away pests. In addition, this is a favorable time of year for organizing weddings. (News.ro)

Article photo: DreamsTime.com