5 Facts About The Summer Solstice

First of all, what is the Solstice;

The summer solstice (or estival solstice), also known as midsummer, occurs when a planet's rotational axis, or geographic pole on either its northern or its southern hemisphere, is most inclined toward the star that it orbits. On the summer solstice, Earth's maximum axial tilt toward the Sun is 23.44°. (Likewise, the Sun's declination from the celestial equator is +23.44° in the Northern Sky and −23.44° in the Southern Sky.) This happens twice each year (once in each hemisphere), when the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky as seen from the north or south pole. [Wikipedia]

Now for some facts!

#1 - In 2017, the solstice will occur at exactly 12:24 am (Eastern) on the 21st, when the sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Cancer, or 23.5° north latitude.

#2 - In the northern hemisphere [Toronto, Canada] today is the longest day of the year in terms total day light, with the sun rising at 5:37 am and setting at 9:02 pm.

#3 - The word Solstice comes from two Latin words – sol, meaning Sun and sistere, meaning to come to a stop or stand still, translating to ‘sun standing still’.

On the day of the June Solstice, the Sun reaches its northernmost position, as seen from the Earth. At that moment, its zenith does not move north or south as during most other days of the year, but it stands still at the Tropic of Cancer. It then reverses its direction and starts moving south again.

#4 - Through out history, the summer solstice or midsummer was celebrated by many cultures!

This includes Ancient Greeks, Romans, Chinese, vikings, Native Americans, Maya's, Aztecs, and Druids. Celebrations varied from festivals, rituals, and sacrifices. For the ancient Greeks the summer solstice also marked the one-month countdown to the opening of the Olympic games.

#5 - The summer solstice is not only celebrated by pagens.

Although Midsummer is originally a pagan holiday, in Christianity it is associated with the nativity of John the Baptist, which is observed on the same day, June 24, in the Catholic, Orthodox and some Protestant churches. It is six months before Christmas because Luke 1:26 and Luke 1.36 imply that John the Baptist was born six months earlier than Jesus, although the Bible does not say at which time of the year this happened.

Until next time..