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Subject: Happy Summer Solstice!
Written By: meesa on 06/20/12 at 7:40 am
Happy Summer Solstice!
Awed by the great power of the sun, civilizations have for centuries celebrated the first day of summer otherwise known as the Summer Solstice, Midsummer, St. John's Day, or the Wiccan Litha.
On Wednesday, we reach the summer solstice. The first day of summer. The longest day of the year.
It’s scientific: The solstice is an astronomical event, a day of solar significance. It’s also spiritual: Around the world and throughout history, rituals and celebrations have been tied to the solstice.
As we prepare for a long, light-filled day, here’s a look at what the summer solstice is all about.
THE SCIENCE
The summer solstice is the longest day of the year because it has the longest period of sunlight.
What causes the solstice?
The Earth is always tilted on its axis at 23 degrees, said Carolyn Sumners, vice president of astronomy and the physical sciences at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It orbits around the sun in that position — and in the Northern Hemisphere, when that tilt leans toward the sun, we call it summer.
“We are reaching that point in the Earth’s orbit where we are tilted most toward the sun,” said Eric Schlegel, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Texas at San Antonio. And when we get there, that’s the summer solstice.
So will the sun be directly overhead Wednesday?
Nope — not in Canada or the United States. At the Tropic of Cancer, a line around the Earth that hits just north of Cuba, the sun will be directly overhead. For a brief time there — and only there — on Wednesday, nothing will cast a shadow.
Canada and the U.S. are too far north to witness that phenomenon. “Solar noon,” when the sun is highest in the sky, happens at different times across the continent.
Doesn’t the sun know that noon is at 12 p.m.?
It’s an hour later because of Daylight time, which is in effect this time of year.
What does the sun’s position mean for us?
It means a lot of intensity. “The higher the sun is in the sky, the more solar radiation we get,” Sumners said. “You’ll get your quickest sunburn on the summer solstice — the sun is most intense.” In other words, wear some extra sunscreen.
Isn’t the solstice usually June 21?
Yes, but it’s June 20 this year. That’s a calendar thing, Schlegel said. The Earth takes 365 and 1/4 days to orbit the sun. That’s why we have leap year every four years, including this one. And that means there are adjustments to the calendar that will occasionally throw the solstice off a day.
THE SPIRITUAL
Why is the solstice a spiritual time?
“Certainly, the longest day of the year has been recognized around the world in spiritual and religious traditions,” said Emilee Dawn Whitheurst, executive director of Houston’s Rothko Chapel.
For many cultures, the solstice was a celebration of agriculture — acknowledgment of the sun’s role in growing crops. It also marked the passing of the sun, which had reached its peak for the year. Even today, to mark the solstice is to acknowledge that the days will get shorter now and winter is on the way.
For the ancient Egyptians, the solstice generally marked the start of the Nile’s flooding season, when the river overflowed its banks and enriched the soil. The Incas celebrated Inti Raymi, the multiday Festival of the Sun, to mark the solstice. The ancient Greeks, too, celebrated with festivals — and they scheduled the Olympic Games to begin after the event had come.
Do people still celebrate the solstice?
Absolutely. In North America, summer solstice parades and festivals are scattered across the continent, including Toronto, Ottawa and Seattle.
England is home to the most famous celebration: Each June, thousands gather at Stonehenge the night before the summer solstice. They wait all night for the sun to come up over the stone monument; it lines up perfectly with the outer Heel Stone.
There’s dancing. There are bonfires. Why such a celebration at Stonehenge? In that part of the world, the seasons are sharply different, Sumners said.
“The more north you are, the more you care about the sun being high in the sky,” she said. “When the sun is highest in the sky in Britain, the difference is dramatic.”
Subject: Re: Happy Summer Solstice!
Written By: warped on 06/20/12 at 8:22 am
Longest period with sunlight 8)
Subject: Re: Happy Summer Solstice!
Written By: Ashkicksass on 06/20/12 at 9:10 am
It's my favorite day of the year!
Subject: Re: Happy Summer Solstice!
Written By: CatwomanofV on 06/20/12 at 10:19 am
I should do a ritual today to celebrate but I'm such a bad witch. :-[
Cat
Subject: Re: Happy Summer Solstice!
Written By: Philip Eno on 06/20/12 at 1:49 pm
The sun shined today and I was happy!
Subject: Re: Happy Summer Solstice!
Written By: Howard on 06/20/12 at 2:23 pm
Longest period with sunlight 8)
and sun goes down at 830pm so I'm rarely gonna be using my nightlight.
Subject: Re: Happy Summer Solstice!
Written By: Howard on 06/20/12 at 2:24 pm
and it was very hot today 95 degrees and tomorrow will be the same. :P
Subject: Re: Happy Summer Solstice!
Written By: amjikloviet on 06/23/12 at 8:52 pm
I love summer!
Subject: Re: Happy Summer Solstice!
Written By: Howard on 06/23/12 at 9:11 pm
I love summer!
summer is ok but it gets too hot.
Subject: Re: Happy Summer Solstice!
Written By: amjikloviet on 06/24/12 at 9:18 pm
summer is ok but it gets too hot.
We had the cold weather until just recently so I don't really mind the hot summer weather now :)