Summertime and the Living's Easy

Summer is officially here, at least astronomically. Today marks the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, while our friends south of the Equator are settling in for a long, dark winter. What exactly is the solstice?

Summer solstice is the point at which the pole of the hemisphere in question most directly faces the sun. It’s the longest period of sunlight in a single day and the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. At the pole, it is 24 hours of daylight. The length of daylight decreases with distance from the pole, culminating in 24 hours of darkness at the opposite pole. 

Solstice occurs at 4:24 AM Universal Time (time in Greenwich, England on the Prime Meridian) on June 21st. Sunset at my location is 9:07 while solstice is at 9:24, which is on the 20^th here. I won’t even see the sun when I am facing it most directly.

Interestingly, we associate summer with long days, but by the time summer actually arrives the days start getting shorter. And even though solstice is when we receive the most sunlight, it takes about a month before peak temperatures arrive. This is because the oceans affect heat absorption and distribution. For the same reason, peak coldness is usually a month of more after winter solstice. Of course, there may be exceptions but that is generally the norm at my latitude.

On an unrelated topic, this week is National Pollinator Week. Bats, insects (notably the bee), and the wind are pollinators you encounter on a daily basis. Go outside and hug a pollinator! Just not a bee.

Solstice diagram: http://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-summer-summer-solstice